


Your Love is My Music

by gilliansitziar



Category: La casa de papel | Money Heist (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Porn, Angst and Romance, College, Declarations Of Love, Drama & Romance, F/M, First Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Idiots in Love, Love, Love Confessions, Love at First Sight, Romantic Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:07:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 35,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25332904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gilliansitziar/pseuds/gilliansitziar
Summary: Sergio Marquina was just a lowly undergrad focused on finishing his degree, but when one night he hears a voice of an angel and found himself completely captivated, and his whole world flipped upside down.
Relationships: Raquel Murillo/Professor | Sergio Marquina
Comments: 143
Kudos: 367





	1. Dreams

**Author's Note:**

> Hola!  
> This is my first attempt at writing fanfiction so bear with me please. I've always wanted to write but the anxiety of my work not being accepted held me back as well as the fact i'm really lazy and have a lot of commitment issues lmao anyway..  
> I hope you like this fic ❤  
> (btw follow me on twitter @gilliansitziar)  
> P.S. The song that Raquel sings is "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac.

Sergio Marquina never really liked going out to bars or clubs, he preferred to stay in his room and study or read a classic book for leisure—maybe even a mystery novel now and then, but his brother, Andres, came by and dragged him to a local bar near his dorm where live music was playing and many patrons entering.

"For God's sakes, hermanito. Stop moping around that dreary room of yours! It's a Friday night and you're in college! Plenty of pretty girls to meet and lots of moments to seize. This is the perfect time for you to let off some steam. God knows how uptight you are nowadays," Andres said while depositing Sergio at a vacant table near the front of the stage of the bar. 

“I’m trying to keep my grades up because of my scholarship, “pretty girls” are the last thing on my mind right now.” Sergio said. “Besides Papa can’t work forever you know that, right?”

“Oh, come now! I’m only proposing a night of fun for you once in a while, little brother. I'm going to go and get us some shots to start us off in the right direction."

He watched as his brother walked to the bar, and, naturally, started flirting with the pretty bartender as he ordered their drinks. He instantly looked away, feeling awkward for even watching. Sergio is nowhere near the spectrum of being normal, having been a very sick child who stayed in lots of hospitals didn't really help his social skills. Unlike his outgoing older brother, he much preferred to be alone and talking with his father just about anything under the sun. Books were his only other company and of course, origami. He smiled fondly at the thought, remembering his father teaching him how to do various figures with a simple piece of paper. 

_Now here you go again, you say_  
_You want your freedom_  
_Well who am I to keep you down_

Sergio was suddenly brought out of his thoughts by a voice, singing softly from the speakers. He looked up to the stage and was instantly enchanted. There, he saw a petite woman with long, golden brown hair that shimmered like the sunlight, wearing a white sleeveless dress and black boots, gently swaying her hips to the song as she croons into the microphone.

_It's only right that you should_  
_Play the way you feel it_  
_Now listen carefully to the sound_  
_of your loneliness_  
_Like a heartbeat drives you mad_

He was in a trance, the singer captivating him with her sweet voice leaving him spellbound, and when their eyes connected – which lasted for what felt like hours – all the other people in the bar seemed to disappear. It was an electrifying sensation. He rarely listens to music other than classical or opera, but the majestic siren on stage was luring him in and he was willingly getting caught up in her spell. Sergio didn’t even focus on the lyrics, and yet, he knew he could listen to her all night long. It was as if she was singing only for him at that moment.   
That was how Andres found him once he came back to their table with the drinks, dumbstruck.

"Sergio? Earth to Sergio?!” he exclaimed while he waved the glass in front of his brother's face. Sergio looked at him with glassy eyes for a moment then took his offered drink and looked back to the stage as if he were a zombie. 

Andres followed his line of sight and quickly understood his little brother's predicament and smirked, an idea popping in his mind. "Hermanito, I'll just go and talk to some of my friends over there, if you don't find me later, just go home okay?" he said. 

Sergio just nodded but never took his eyes off the stage. Andres quickly made his escape to watch from afar as the woman ended her song with a flourish and a beautiful smile. He saw his brother give a standing ovation, while still locking eyes with the woman who was smiling brightly at him. He saw Sergio bow his head in embarrassment and nervously walked to the bathroom as if to calm his nerves, while the woman kept her eyes on his back as he walked away. Andres could only smile fondly at the scenario.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sergio felt very flushed as he hurriedly walked to the bathroom, and he just knew his face was as red as a tomato right now. He felt like a little boy being caught red-handed stealing sweets. He just laid eyes on probably the most beautiful and captivating woman he has ever seen in his entire life and he sat there gawking at her like a high school geek. He looked down and saw that his erection is straining his jeans. _Jesus Christ, what’s wrong with you, Sergio!_

He was unfamiliar of these feelings; they were completely foreign to him. Sure, he had raging hormones like any young man but never this fast, and especially not listening to someone sing. He was _mortified_ by his reaction to her, but when he remembers her sweet, dazzling smile directed right at him, he just melts, and feels those pesky butterflies in his stomach once more. “Snap out of it, Sergio, she is way out of your league,” he muttered to himself.

Finally gathering his wits again, he looked at the bathroom mirror one last time before absent-mindedly walking out the door while looking down and fixing his shirt buttons, when he suddenly bumped into a soft body.

"Oh!” the woman started. Sergio looked down to see the woman's face as she tipped her head to look him in the eyes. He felt himself tense. It was the brown-haired siren on stage. "I'm so sorry, I was waiting for the ladies' room to be available and I didn't hear you come out from the men's room,” she said while giving him a sweet smile. 

Sergio stood there, gaping at her. The woman just gives him an amused smile.

"I'm Raquel, by the way," she stretches her arm to shake his hand, beaming at him, "Raquel Murillo." 


	2. Foolish Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raquel Murillo's eye was caught by a handsome stranger she just can't seem to resist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hola! yes i'm back with a new chapter lmao who am I?? 
> 
> first of all, I would like to thank everyone's positive feeedbacks on the first chapter. I'm so overjoyed at your excitement. I hope I won't let you down.
> 
> anyways, I hope you guys will like this❤️️  
> I promise to post a longer one next week!
> 
> (also I'm working on a new series of one-shots of serquel in Palawan so stay tuned! 😉)

Raquel Murillo always got high on the rush of performing live on stage. She revels in the exhilarating feeling of having all eyes on her. Tonight, however, was a different story. _Her_ eyes were caught by a handsome bearded stranger with glasses that hid big, tender eyes. She noticed him when she stepped up on the stage and into the spotlight, yet the small, shy smile the man had on his face was more blinding. He seemed to be deep in thought, but the moment she let out the first few words of the song, she saw his eyes snap to hers with a quick bolt of electricity coursing through her body that had her center wet. She couldn't find the will to rip her eyes from him.

She continued singing her heart out, gently swaying her hips to the Fleetwood Mac song, while maintaining eye contact with the handsome stranger. Raquel could see that he was as charmed as she was, since he didn't even let his companion that gave him his drink lose his focus on her _._ She deduced that the other man was probably a close friend of his because he smirked when he noticed that his friend barely acknowledged him for he was solely focused on her. She glanced as the other man walked off to a group on the far side of the bar. As she brought the song to a close, she gave the crowd a small bow and sent a flirty smile to the handsome stranger who was on his feet clapping for her. She beamed brighter at him. He shyly walked away as if he was embarrassed to be noticed gawking at her and walked off to the men's room.

Raquel has always been very straightforward. She knew how to approach any given situation and she knew how to work men, but something told her that that man was going to be different from all the men that have ever came into her life. God knows she can pick 'em. She didn't even realize it, but she was slowly following the man and decided to wait him out. When she heard the door creak open, she immediately spun around and "accidentally" bumped into him.

The handsome stranger was startled and put his left hand on her shoulder to steady her, thinking she would fall, but as she looked up at him, _Damn,_ she thought, _maybe I_ am _going to fall._ He was openly staring at her now, his eyes nearly bulging out from the sockets as recognition hits him. She quickly thinks on her feet to make a move because he was obviously still in shock.

"I'm so sorry, I was waiting for the ladies' room to be available and I didn't hear you come out from the men's room,” she said while giving him a sweet smile. "I'm Raquel, by the way," she stretches her arm to shake his hand, beautiful, beaming at him, "Raquel Murillo."

The man seemed to have registered that her lips were moving, and she just introduced herself. "H-hola." He gave her a crooked smile as he finally takes her hand to shake it. "I'm Sergio. Encantanda de conocerte."

"Hmm, Sergio. I assume you have a last name?" she teased.

"Oh, it's Marquina. My name's Sergio Marquina" he chuckled nervously.

"Nice to meet you, too, Sergio Marquina. So.." she smirked, "what did you think?"

"Perdon?" He asked with a confused look as he pushed his glasses up his nose.

 _He's nervous,_ she thought, _God, he's so adorable, I just want to kiss that confused look off his face._

"What did you think of my performance?" She clarified.

He had a hard, serious face, that seemed to soften as he smiled and said, "You were riveting. Utterly captivating."

Raquel's smile widened as she blushed. "So, I found myself quite a charmer, then. I didn't think you'd know how to make a girl blush." She paused and sincerely said, "Thank you."

Suddenly, she jumped and took his hand and led a startled Sergio to the bar, smiled and looked over her shoulder. "Come on, I'll buy you a drink."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sergio let her drag him to the bar while holding his hand—that was all he was thinking about, _she was holding his hand._ He couldn't quite wrap his mind around it; a beautiful goddess like Raquel Murillo was _actually_ holding his hand. He could feel his blush spreading from his neck to his face, and the burning of his skin where their skin touched.

"Two shots of tequila, por favor," she ordered as soon as they reached the bar. The bartender quickly served them the glasses filled to the rim. Smiling, she took one and gave him the other. "Bottoms up."

Sergio watched as Raquel easily knocked back the shot with such elegance. He was yet again mesmerized by her, the way her throat moved as she drank, the glint in her eyes as she looked at him after downing the drink.

"Qué pasa? Vamos bebe." He hurriedly followed suit, cringing as he felt the liquid burn a trail down his throat. He watched as she slowly swayed and hummed to the song playing in the background.

"Muy bien! Another round of shots, please, Ms. Bartender!" she exclaimed.

Chuckling, he said, "Are you trying to get me drunk?"

"Claro que sí," she laughed as she handed him his second shot and positioned hers near her lips. "I noticed you were a bit tense so, yes, I think that getting you inebriated is the best way for you to let go and actually flirt with me.” Sergio nearly chokes on his drink, completely taken aback with what she said. Raquel just smirks into her shot glass as he stared at her with large eyes.

Smiling shyly, he pushes his glasses back up his nose as he sincerely said, "I wouldn't know anything about flirting even if it stared me right in the face, but tonight I'd be willing to risk my foolish heart."

Raquel licked her lips and said in a low voice, “I guess I won’t be the only one then.” She cleared throat, suddenly feeling shy at how the conversation shifted. “This is going to sound cliché, but I haven’t seen you around here before.”

“Yes, that does sound really cliché.” Sergio laughed softly. “The truth is, I don’t go out much. My brother, Andres dragged me out here because he felt that as a university student, I need to _“seize moments and talk to pretty girls.”_ ”

“Well?” Raquel tilted her head, smirking, “Did you achieve these goals tonight?”

“Pues..” he smiled shyly, once again pushing his glasses up his nose, “so far I’ve been lucky enough to have a pretty girl to actually talk to me tonight without me making an ass out of myself. Then, yes, I guess I’ve achieved them.”

Raquel laughed heartily, lightly slapping his arm. “Que cojones, Sergio! I wasn’t really fishing for a compliment, but thank you. I’ll take it.”

“It’s true, though.” Sergio sighed. “To be honest, I rarely go out because big crowds tend to overwhelm me, but tonight, seeing you perform, talking to you? I have to admit that I’m really enjoying myself.”

She looked at him thoughtfully, a soft smile on her lips. “I’m glad I could be of service, señor.”

“Do you want to get out of here? Get a bit of fresh air?”

Raquel beamed at him. “I thought you’d never ask.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, kudos and comments will be really appreciated!💕 love you all!!
> 
> P.S. thank you again to @lonelychicagos for proofreading this chapter! love you lots, ma'am!


	3. I've Got You Under My Skin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sergio and Raquel take an evening stroll to a nearby park. The cool night air wasn't the only thing getting under their skin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hola! As promised, I wrote a longer chapter for you all!! I'm so excited for your comments and reactions on this one because this took me so long to actually start, I've been busy the past week. I got hit by the writer's block too haha
> 
> (btw please check out my other SerQuel fanfic; it's a collection of one-shots of Sergio & Raquel in Palawan)
> 
> follow me on twitter: @gilliansitziar and on ig: @nadzbigornia

Raquel could tell that when a man was coming onto her hard, they usually want one thing from her and that always completely turned her off. She preferred to be wooed. She liked long, meaningful conversations and actually connecting with a man other than just sex. With Sergio, though, she instantly felt at ease. It seemed like he was genuinely interested in talking to her and to be honest with herself, she was as mesmerized with him as he was with her. She could tell that he was highly intelligent and she liked that in a man, someone who can stimulate her brain, among other parts of her body.

She could feel the warmth of Sergio's hand at the small of her back as he led her out of the bar. She breathed in the cool night air as they stepped outside. Their hands brushed as they started walking aimlessly along the sidewalk as they passed many people heading toward the bar they just left. Raquel didn't know what has gotten into her that evening, but she surprised herself when she loosely took his hand in her small one. She wasn't usually _this_ forward, but she does go after what she likes.

Sergio was quite surprised by her action but didn't let go of her hand and eventually relaxed.

"I assume you study here?" She finally broke their comfortable silence.

"Sí, I'm trying to finish my degree in Economics." Sergio replied. "How about you? Do you go here, too?"

"Yes, I'm majoring in Psychology with a minor in Criminology."

"Any chances you'll be in the police force then, Inspectora? " he teased.

She chuckled softly. "That's definitely an option. I'm having some second thoughts, though." Raquel smiled sadly, "Women are still resented in the force, and I don't think I could work in that kind of hostile environment."

Sergio suddenly gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, smiling warmly at her. "I'm sure a smart, confident woman such as yourself wouldn't have any problems kicking some misogynistic men's asses."

She felt herself go warm at his words. His sincerity is stripping her raw. She has never met someone like him, someone who actually supported her without knowing her for years, and that's quite rare. Men she'd dated would come to realize that she wasn't just this mindless accessory they could carry around and show off to their friends as their new piece of ass. They'd break it off with her. She'd be sad for a few days, then be grateful because she knew her worth, and good riddance to anyone who won't accept her as the independent woman that she was.

They finally stopped walking when they reached a nearby park and sat down on a bench, basking in the soft moonlight and falling silent once again. Raquel couldn't resist admiring his side profile, his big glasses framing his handsome face. She noticed him adjusting them for the hundredth time tonight and she couldn't help but smile adoringly. _His shy demeanor is_ so _endearing, she thought._ Sergio faced her now. He had a face that could look cold and intense and still be so handsome. But just as she thought he couldn't get any more beautiful, he smiled at her, his whole face just lights up, his eyes almost closing as he did so.

"Qué?" he asked, smiling shyly.

Raquel looked away and smiled. "Nothing."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Since Andres dragged him out his room, Sergio dreaded where the night would take him, because knowing his brother, he'd probably end up with some girl in his bed, leaving him behind somewhere. But now, he was thanking his lucky stars for having laid eyes to the goddess sitting next to him on a park bench tonight. Women as beautiful and self-assured as Raquel never bothered to talk to him, but she basically came barging into his life and uncharacteristically for him, he welcomed it.

Sergio noticed she was blushing as she looked away, having been caught staring at him. _God, she's beautiful, he thought._ He found himself the one openly staring now, trying to memorize her face, thinking he'd forget it when he woke up because this was probably a dream, _There's no way a woman like her would spent time with me._

"Should I be worried?" Raquel asked with a low voice as she slowly leaned toward him.

"Cuál?" Sergio tilted his head, confused. "Worried about what?"

"That some girl will scratch my eyes out for talking to you." She smiled teasingly.

Sergio looked down and shook his head, chuckling, "No, I don't have a girlfriend, if that's what you're asking."

"De verdad? A smart, good-looking guy like you? The ladies must be falling over themselves to get a date with you." He noticed relief pass her face for moment but didn't comment on it. "Thank God for that, though. I wouldn't want any blood on my dress tonight." Raquel said, chuckling.

Sergio blushed. "No, actually. I haven't really gotten that much luck with the ladies. I mean you've talked to me long enough tonight, surely you couldn't miss how socially awkward I am."

Raquel tilted her head, a soft smile on her face. "I think it's adorable."

Sergio looked away for a moment, a shy smile on his lips, "What about me? Should _I_ be worried that some guy will come at me with a knife for even breathing in the same air as you?"

"No, no tengo novio," she giggled. "I actually broke up with my ex not too long ago, a couple of months I think."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." He said, a hint of relief in his voice.

Raquel huffed, "Don't be, Alberto was a bastard. That _hijo de puta_ thought he could control me. He got violent with me one time because he thought my skirt was too short for his liking. That one slap did it, and I kicked him to the curb.” Sergio was shook with rage as she told him this. He has never felt the urge to hit a man square in the face before.

"I won't let any man talk me down when I know my worth." She finally said after a few moments of silence from him, her voice cracking just a little.

"Raquel, I want you to know that I'm not a violent man by nature but if you tell me he ever came near you again, I swear I will..."

"Sergio…" Raquel quickly took hold of his hands and looked deeply in his eyes. He could see the tears welling up in them. "I know I haven't known you that well, but knowing that you'd defend my honor... I- thank you. No one really believed me when I told them Alberto had anger management issues and he did slap me one time, because he was this charming man in everyone's eyes. That was how I saw him, too, when our relationship started, but after a few outbursts, I started to feel unsafe and anxious every time we'd get in a fight. I was already thinking of breaking up with him by then. He just gave me a really good reason to do it and not feel bad about it."

Sergio looked at their intertwined hands brushing his thumb over her knuckles. He glanced up to her again, he saw her looking at their hands, a single tear making its way down her smooth cheek. He wondered how it would feel like to touch her. Without realizing it, his hands moved of their own accord, gently cradling her face.

Raquel looked up at him, a tinge of surprise in her eyes that instantly softened as they stared at each other. Sergio could sense her relaxing in his hands and feel her lean closer. _She was going to kiss him,_ he thought in panic. He then realized that that was what he wanted to do all evening long.

The first touch of their lips was gentle and unsure, but as they relaxed into the kiss, their hands found their way to each other's hair, caressing.

Sergio's whole body was buzzing with electricity at the contact. He's kissed a lot of girls before, but Raquel Murillo was the only woman that brought out this warm feeling from inside him. _She's gotten under my skin,_ he thought.

Raquel was the one who pulled away, but their foreheads still touched. He could still feel her warm breath on his lips. "Sergio... I know this is going a bit fast but _God,_ I've wanted to do that all evening." She laughed softly.

"Me too." He was completely still as Raquel moved her face away from his. He instantly missed her warmth.

She gracefully stood up from the bench, holding out her hand for him to stand up too.

"Venga. I'll let you walk me home tonight." Raquel said and smiled as she held his hand and started walking. "My apartment is just a couple of blocks from here."

Sergio nodded. They walked hand-in-hand, a comfortable silence enveloping them.

"This is me." Raquel said as they stopped in front her apartment building.

She was facing him now, their hands still locked together. Sergio sighed, working up the courage to ask her what he's been thinking about as they walked. He took a big breath and blurted out, "Do you want to have lunch with tomorrow?" He panicked and started babbling, "I mean if you're not busy and if you only want to--"

Raquel giggled. "Yes, Sergio. I'd like to have lunch with you tomorrow. Pick me up here at 1pm?"

"Y-you will? Oh, okay, yes, definitely I'll pick you up tomorrow."

Raquel simply shook her head and smiled at him. She slowly stood on her tiptoes and laid a soft, quick kiss on his lips. "Good night, Sergio." She said as she let go of his hands and started walking backwards toward her building.

"Buenas noche, bella." Sergio softly called after her as he watched her look back at him and winked.


	4. Brown Eyed Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raquel is nervous and giddy at the thought of her date with the handsome man she just met last night. Sergio found himself getting lost in the goddess's bright world, surrounded by her radiance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hola! Happy Friday everyone!  
> First of all, I wanted to say sorry for not updating sooner. I wanted to write a longer chapter for you all because the last one wasn't that different from the first two in length lol  
> Second, this chapter will be dedicated to my ladies, my twitter clowns! I promised to post last night but I got sidetracked haha
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! love you all so much! I really appreciate all the comments and kudos you leave on my stories ❤️️

Raquel couldn't wipe the huge smile off her face as she closed the door of her apartment. She was just absolutely giddy with the thought of having to go on a date with Sergio tomorrow that she didn't notice her roommate, Alicia, sitting in their small living area next to the kitchen.

"What's gotten you in such a good mood tonight?", Alicia said, interrupting her friend's dreamy state of mind.

Raquel nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard her roommate's voice. "Dios mío, Alicia! Don't sneak up on me like that." She started to walk to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

"I wasn't expecting you until later. I assumed you were going to get plastered tonight and, I don't know, maybe meet someone and paint the town red," Alicia said as she got up from the couch.

As much as she tried, Raquel couldn't suppress the blush from creeping up her neck to her face. She smiled into her glass, remembering her enchanting night with Sergio. She stayed silent as her friend saw her reaction and immediately bounded towards her.

With her elbows on the kitchen island, Alicia Sierra went into interrogator mode and Raquel knew that she was in trouble. She met Alicia at her first year in college and discovered that they were taking on the same degrees and instantly became best friends. On their second year, they decided to move into a two-bedroom apartment just outside the university together and they've been having a blast living under the same roof since. Alicia was very tenacious by nature and God knows she could be one hell of an Inspectora one day. In cases like these though, Raquel never liked being put on the hot seat of her interrogations.

"Oh! So you did meet someone! Venga. Tell me. What's his name? Or was it a she? Did you fuck?", Alicia quickly rattled on excitedly.

Giggling, Raquel shook her head at how ridiculous her friend was and how much she enjoys this crazy banter between them. "Sí, I did meet someone, a man actually. His name's Sergio Marquina. He's studying Economics. He's smart and has this endearing, shy smile that just really made me...," she sighed dreamily. "And no, we didn't fuck, I don't think he's the one-night stand kind of guy, anyway, and neither am I, so that's a moot point."

Alicia gave her a look of disbelief, one of her brows raised.

"Once! I had a one-night stand, once, okay?! That didn't count. That was a fluke. I was shit-faced drunk and you basically pushed us together." She said defensively. "..and he was kind of hot so.. anyway.."

"Bueno," Alicia smiled triumphantly, "continue with your story about this dashing Sergio then."

"Well, I saw him watching me sing on stage. I basically threw myself at him. We had shots then we went on a walk to the park and we talked."

"Oh, I'm sure you _loved_ that." Alicia quipped.

Raquel looked at her pointedly, and continued. "Anyway... we just.. clicked. He's different from all the guys I've gone out with in the past. He's sweet and sensitive."

"Wow, Raquel, I'm surprised you didn't kiss him right then and there." Alicia chuckled. She then noticed her friend's face go even redder as she finished her glass of water, nearly choking on it. "Oh, my God! You did kiss him! Damn, chica, you sure go after what you want." She howled.

"He was just so irresistible with his big glasses, his awkward personality and his adorable smile! I told him about Alberto and he basically told me he'd fight him if Alberto ever came near me again. He _listened_ and not a lot of guys are genuinely interested in a woman's mind, most of them just want sex. But, Sergio... Sergio is sincere and seems to be taken with my intelligence, too. And I feel the same way about him," Raquel said as she started to walk towards the door to her room. "Oh, and he asked me out for lunch tomorrow." She quickly said as she entered her room, leaving Alicia with her mouth hanging open, in the kitchen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**Saturday, 12:55pm**

Raquel smoothed her dress for the hundredth time in the past hour. _Why the hell was she so nervous? This wasn't the first time she went on a date with a guy. It may have been a while since... but that's beside the point._ She peaked out her window and saw Sergio standing outside her building. Taking a last look in her floor length bedroom mirror, she made her way out of her room. Knowing Alicia, she didn't bother calling out to the apartment that she was leaving because that woman could sleep til afternoon on the weekends. With a shaky breath she stepped out of her building and walked towards Sergio.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sergio's breath hitched at the sight of Raquel walking towards him in an sea green sundress with capped sleeves. Her wavy hair was caught in the wind, flowing along with it. She looked ethereal. And she was smiling at him. _God, that smile is brighter the sun. I want to bask in it all day._

"Hola, Raquel. Buenas tardes." He said as Raquel came up to him, stood on tiptoe and kissed both of his cheeks. He couldn't help the blush on his face as he looked down.

"Hola, Sergio." She finally spied the wicker basket with a blanket on top of it near his feet and pointed at it. "What have you got there?"

"I thought it was nice out day today so, I took the liberty of buying us some lunch from _Hanoi Café._ I thought maybe we could take it to the park and have a little picnic," he said shyly, adjusting his glasses on his nose. "I mean if that's okay with you?"

"That's sounds perfect. I love the food at _Hanoi Café._ I frequently go there myself for a caffeine boost and maybe some brunch from time to time." She said as she watched Sergio turn his back to her to get the basket behind him and carefully took out a small, delicate bouquet of pink peonies, buttercups and baby's breaths. He shyly held it out to her, his soft eyes locking with hers for a few moments before looking down again. Raquel's heart warmed at the gesture, her smile widened. She was silent for a few seconds as she absorbed how sweet the moment was before she said, "Thank you, Sergio. You shouldn't have."

"I know these flowers are not as pretty as you but the meaning of each one should make up for the lack of beauty they possess compared to yours." Sergio said.

"Aww, Sergio. I thought you didn't know how to wow the ladies. You're just secretly a big, soft romantic, huh?" She giggled as she linked arms with him, and they started to walk in the direction of the park. "Well, come on then, tell me what these flowers mean, I haven't read up on these kinds of things."

"Okay, well, the peonies are commonly associated with romance, and bashfulness," he explained as he touched the flower in question. "The buttercups symbolize charm, attraction and radiance. And as for the baby's breaths, it symbolizes purity, sincerity and compassion."

"Hmm, you just confirmed my theory of you being a complete romantic." She teased him. He merely shook his head in response to her teasing.

They continued to walk in silence, as they neared a big tree in the park. Sergio laid the blanket in the shade of the tree. Raquel casually sat down while he took out their lunch from the basket and offered her a sandwich.

"I'm guessing you're a big fan of the classics and poems?" Raquel asked him as she started to unwrap her sandwich, taking a small bite from it.

Sergio cleared his throat. "En realidad, sí, I'm known to like reading the classics such as Austen and Hardy."

"Oh my God! You _are_ a nerd!" she exclaimed.

"I do read a bit of crime and mystery from time to time," Sergio said defensively.

Raquel chuckled softly, "Okay, then. Just don't tell me you listen solely to classical music."

"Well.." Sergio said in embarrassment.

"Oh, no! Sergio, just no!" Raquel cried out. "We have to rectify this situation, right now!" She abruptly stood up and marched up to a musician sitting on a bench next to the tree they were under in.

Sergio, confused, watched as she talked to the man. She suddenly clapped her hands together, excitedly and he could hear her thanking the man as she walked back to him. He could hear the man start to play an unfamiliar tune on his guitar. Raquel stopped in front of him, leaned down and took his hands in hers, pulling him up to stand with her. Confused, he let her lead him into the sunlight.

"This is one of my favorite songs, by one of my favorite artists, Van Morrison." She said as she swayed with the music and she took him along with her, urging him to dance as the musician started to sing.

"Raquel I-- I don't know how to dance..." He nervously said to her.

"Just follow my lead," she wagged her brows at him and winked.

Raquel started to sing along with the musician, as they continued to dance.

_Laughing and a running hey, hey_

_Skipping and a jumping_

_In the misty morning fog with_

_Our hearts a thumpin' and you_

_My brown-eyed girl_

_You, my brown-eyed girl_

He was victim of her infectious smile, so he let go and swayed with her on the grass. He felt like he was losing himself to the song, and his dance partner. He couldn't care less if he looked awkward dancing next to a graceful goddess. He found himself enjoying dancing with Raquel as he carefully twirled her around _. He can feel himself transform into a new man because of her radiance._ _Raquel's effect on him... was all-consuming._

Sergio listened to her angelic voice, and just like last night, he was completely enthralled by her. He drank in the sight of her, bathed in sunlight, enjoying herself. He finally paid attention to the lyrics she was singing. It was as if the song was written for her. He looked into her own brown eyes, sparkling with joy under the sun. She was basically glowing with happiness, so carefree and beautiful.

_So hard to find my way_

_Now that I'm all on my own_

_I saw you just the other day_

_My, how you have grown_

_Cast my memory back there, Lord_

_Sometimes I'm overcome thinking 'bout_

_Making love in the green grass_

_Behind the stadium with you_

_My brown-eyed girl_

_You, my brown-eyed girl_

Having caught on to the beat of the song, Sergio started to hum with Raquel's singing.

 _"My brown-eyed girl."_ He softly sang to her.

That made Raquel stop singing along to the song. A sweet smile slowly formed on her face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 _Did he just...did he just call me_ his _brown-eyed girl?_

Raquel felt the fluttering of the butterflies in her stomach. Her heart beating like a drum on her chest as she imagined, _Oh, to be Sergio's girl._

She noticed Sergio looking intensely at her, his eyes flicking from her lips then back to her eyes. She only hesitated for a moment before pushing herself on her toes to kiss him. Sergio gladly kissed her back with the same enthusiasm as her. His hands in her hair, cradling her head as he halted their lip lock, "Raquel..." He whispered as he touched their foreheads together, breathing hard. "This is all going a bit too fast I-"

"I know," she interrupted him, looking down as disappointment washed over her like a cold bath. "Lo siento, Sergio. I didn't mean to come off too strong. I'm not usually like this-"

Sergio silenced her with a brief kiss. "Raquel, in less than a day of knowing you, you've already turned my world upside down in the most amazing way. This is the most fun I've had since I can remember. I've never felt this strong connection with a woman before you. And from what I've learned in life is that you should take chances, which I haven't really done much. And.. what I wanted to say was; I know this is going fast but I was wondering... will you be _my brown-eyed girl_?"

Raquel quickly snapped her eyes back to his in surprise. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. What she just dreamt about earlier was coming true. She could see the sincerity in his eyes as they bore into hers. She didn't even have to think because there was only one answer in her mind.

"Yes." Raquel answered as she brought her lips back to his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S. the song they danced to was "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison.


	5. I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raquel learns more about Sergio's past love life and a sweet secret kept in his apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good Friday everyone! I had a hard time thinking of a plot for this chapter. Thank God some kind of inspiration struck me because I don't want to disappoint any of you. I hope you like this chapter, I kind of reflected myself on Sergio and Raquel for some of it lol anyways..
> 
> Don't forget to leave some comments and kudos ❤️️  
> Oh! and follow me on Twitter @gilliansitziar and on IG @nadzbigornia for updates 😘

_She's effervescent._

Sergio thought as he listened attentively to Raquel's animated voice as she relayed the story of how she and Alicia went to their first frat party on freshman year. They were currently sat inside Hanoi Café, where they decided to meet right after their classes.

It's been 133 days since she said yes to him in the park, on their first date. He still couldn’t believe that she said yes. He didn't even know where he found the courage to even ask because he wasn't kidding when he said that girls weren't exactly flocking around him. Sure, some may have approached him, but he wasn't really looking for a relationship and was just awkward in general. That usually gets the girls running off with some jock instead. He wasn't offended when that happens. From what he can tell from Andres' past girlfriends, relationships were messy. Yet here he was, happily in a relationship with Raquel, kissing her everyday and going on regular dates for the past few months.

"... and that's how Alicia's panties got tacked on a bulletin board near the frat house with a note "lost and found"! Raquel laughed. "Alicia was mortified, but she didn't show it on her face. She simply walked up there and snatched her black lace panties and shoved it in her book bag!"

Sergio was laughing with her now. "Wow, you two must be _really fun_ at parties."

"Oh, you have no idea! You should definitely come with us sometime. There'll be a lot at the end of finals week for sure." Raquel suggested.

He hesitated for a second. "I don't go to a lot of parties but sure, I'll come with you and Ali--" ,he was suddenly interrupted by a girl coming up to their table.

"Sergio? Sergio Marquina?" The girl asked.

"Silene?" Sergio said as he stood up and smiled.

"Oh my God, Sergio! How the hell have you been?" Silene said as she gave him a quick kiss on the lips and a tight hug.

"I-I'm good. What about you? What are you doing here?" Sergio stammered.

"I'm actually on a university tour. Can you believe it?! I'll be going here next semester! You've been babbling about how amazing this school was and by the time you up and left to go here three years ago, I never got to say that you've sold me the idea of going here as well. Then I saw you through the glass window just now and I couldn't not say hi!" Silene was talking a mile a minute.

"Oh, I'm-", Sergio started to say, but the girl hasn't stopped talking.

"I'm kind of hurt this is the first time I'm seeing you after three years. Seriously, Sergio, you couldn't be bothered to see your ex-girlfriend whenever you come home for the holidays? Have you been avoiding me?" Silene rattled on.

"No, no I haven't been avoiding you. I just stay at home whenever I visit my parents." Sergio chuckled nervously.

Raquel was silently fuming as she sat alone in their table, watching their whole interaction. She never was the jealous type of girlfriend; she wasn't clingy or overbearing at all. But seeing this girl – this skinny, leggy, attractive girl –all over Sergio, hugging him, stroking his biceps, kissing him on the lips, like she had every right to, sent murderous thoughts to her brain.

Suddenly Sergio was gesturing towards their table and she was _hoping to_ _God_ he doesn't invite her to sit with them. She plastered on a smile as Sergio introduced her to the girl.

"Raquel, this is-" Sergio began.

"Hola, I'm Silene Oliveira. Sergio's ex-girlfriend." The girl said with a sarcastic smile as she extended a hand to her.

Raquel gripped it tightly in hers, giving her a fake smile. "Raquel Murillo, _the_ _girlfriend_." She shamelessly stared down Silene. _Yeah, bitch, he’s mine now._

Sergio awkwardly cleared his throat, nervously looking at Silene and back to her. "Silene, would you like to join us?"

She internally groaned in frustration. _What. The. Hell._ "Yes, Silene, join us." Her voice high and sarcastic.

Silene smirked at her. "I would love to but, I have to catch up with my university tour. I'll see you again soon, Sergio. I'm going to live in the coed dorms building, so I'll see you around, no?" She stepped up and kissed Sergio on the cheek and whispered loudly enough for Raquel to hear, "She hates me."

 _Damn right, I do, bitch._ Raquel thought icily. She saw Sergio's panic face when Silene went for a quick peck on his lips.

"Adios, Sergio." Silene said to him and turned to face Raquel, giving her a sweet fake smile. "It was good to meet you, Raquel."

Finally, Silene walked off and exited the Café. "Was that you marking your territory? Were you jealous just now?" Sergio teased.

Raquel looked at Sergio with an annoyed expression, one eyebrow arched. Sergio was avoiding her gaze as he finished his coffee with a single gulp.

"Shut up, Sergio." She snapped. That silenced him for a while.

"So," Sergio said as he nervously smiled at her and adjusted his glasses on his nose. "let's get our study on back in my place then?"

She was still pissed off but she's very curious about Sergio's apartment. They've been going out for a few months now and she hasn't been there yet. They usually study at the library or at Hanoi Café so when Sergio finally offered to go there to study since he has a lot of books concerning a subject she was taking up; she didn't let that opportunity slide. She'll let this little interaction with Silene go. For now. She gracefully stood up from their table and started walking to the door. "Fine. Vamos."

Sergio scrambled to get her books on the table after leaving a couple of dollars for their drinks. He hurriedly caught up with her outside the door of the café.

"Raquel wait," taking her hand, he turned her to face him. "I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for?" She huffed.

"For what just happened back there. Silene was my first and last girlfriend before you. She was just always overly familiar, and possessive with me, even when we were together. I didn't care much for it so I eventually ended it before graduation when I saw her making out with her classmate, Anibal Cortes. Since then, I've been wary of women and relationships in general." Sergio explained.

Raquel's heart softened with his words. She reached up and held his face with both hands, looking softly into his eyes. "I'm sorry, Sergio. I didn't mean to overreact earlier. It's just.. seeing her all over you like that just made me see red."

Sergio merely smiled sadly at her, shrugging his shoulder. _How could someone break the heart of this sweet, sensitive man? That puta! I'll beat her up the next time I see her damn face._

"Cariño, I'm sorry she did that to you. I promise I'll mess up her face for you if she ever breathes near me again." She smiled, affectionately running her fingers at the hairs at the back of his head.

"C-como?" Sergio choked.

Raquel just smiled sweetly at him, took his hand and started to walk again. "Come on, lead the way, kind sir. We have some studying to do."

Once they reached Sergio's apartment and he started to unlock his door, Raquel didn't know what to expect. She was keeping an open mind as to what Sergio's living space looked like. He gestured for her to come in. She didn't notice Sergio watching her as she stepped through the door.

"Please, make yourself at home. I'll just get us some food and drinks from the kitchen." Sergio said.

Raquel settled on the couch and laid out her notes on the coffee table. She couldn't help but eye the things that are apparently all Sergio's. The interior of his studio apartment was clean and masculine. He obviously wasn't a slob. He was actually quite organized from what she could tell from the neatly propped books on his shelves – which she’s betting is in alphabetical order – on the other side of the room where she could also see a perfectly made bed on the corner, and a desk with a lamp, beside it. She was itching to explore the place but she thought it would be too much of an invasion of his privacy. She knew how he valued it and she respected that.

"I made some sandwiches as well," Sergio announced as he placed the food and water on the table and sat next to her on the couch, snapping her out of her observation. 

"That looks great, Sergio. Thank you. You have a lovely place, by the way." She said, watching Sergio move the books on the table with a smile on his face.

Cracking his knuckles, he looked at her and wagged his brows. "Let's get studying then."

 _Oh, God. Nobody should be this excited to study,_ she thought, _but it's too damn cute to call him out on. He was always so knowledgeable about various topics; it was quite inspiring for her._

"Muy bien, Professor," she teased as she picked up one of her books and started to read.

Raquel heaved a sigh. They've been at it for a few hours now, throwing questions at each other, which would lead to Sergio extensively explaining a certain topic that they would eventually discuss together. It was always stimulating for her when they do this, two equally intelligent people exchanging ideas. It never fails to turn her on, yet even with all this unconscious word foreplay, they still haven't had sex. She wasn't going to pressure him or anything, she was perfectly happy with their relationship. But if they decided to do it, that would be just another added bonus. She stood up to stretch her limbs after alternately sitting on the floor and the couch for the past few hours.

"I’m going to make coffee. Would you like some?" Sergio suggested.

"Yes, please," she said as Sergio went to the kitchen to start the coffee.

Raquel walked to the desk near his bed. There, she saw a worn out, hardbound copy of Little Women. She held the book and scanned the pages when something fell to the floor. She picked it up and was shocked to see her face, different angles of her face drawn on the piece of paper. She was staring at it, caressing the lines on the paper, for what felt like hours when she felt two arms wrap around her waist.

"I guess you just found out my secret." Sergio shyly whispered to her ear.

"Sergio, this is amazing. I didn't know you could draw like this." She said as she turned around in his arms. "I always thought I was a pretty observant person. How did I not notice you doing these?"

"Well," he blushed, "I usually do it when you're distracted with studying or talking to Alicia. Sometimes, I draw you from memory. I made it my mission, even from our first unofficial date that night in the park, to memorize every inch of your beautiful face. Just in case it was all a dream, you know? From time to time, I still wonder if I'm dreaming about this, you, us." He took a deep breath. "Because if this is all just a dream, then I never want to wake up and forget you and what we have."

Raquel felt like her heart was about to burst with the love she was feeling for him. With tears forming in her eyes she said, "Sergio, you don't have to worry. This isn't a dream, and I wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon."

With that said she leaned into him, kissing him softly, her tongue just barely teasing his lips. She could feel herself go warm as their kiss started to heat up. She heard Sergio growl in his throat as he grabbed her by the ass and hoisted her up in his arms, gently laying her down on his bed. Raquel could feel his hard-on pressing on her center so she started to rock her hips in a gentle motion. His moan just urged her on as she turned them so she could be on top of him. Their hungry kisses continued, and Raquel could feel herself get wetter by the minute. Her hands started to travel down to his chest, abdomen, and finally on his shaft. She gently gripped him through the fabric of his jeans with one hand. She started to unbundled his belt when she heard him talk.

"Raquel, please I-," Sergio groaned.

"Sergio, if this is making you uncomfortable. I could stop.." she said anxiously.

"No! I mean.. it's just that.. nobody has ever.. I've never.." He stuttered out.

"You've never had a girl go down on you?" Raquel asked.

"No, but I've never done..." Sergio looked away shyly.

"You've never... Sergio, you're a-a virgin?" She asked with a bit of surprise in her voice.

Sergio couldn't look her in the eyes when he whispered, "Yes."

"Cariño...," she took his face in her hands, "That's not something to be ashamed of. There's no judgement here. We'll do this at your pace."

He looked at her now. "Thank you, Raquel. I-I think I've waited long enough for the girl of my dreams..."

Raquel smiled brightly at him. Leaning forward, she kissed him again, this time her kisses travelled down the path her hands took earlier. "Just relax, cariño. Let me make you feel good."

Sergio was assaulted with so much sensation that he had to close his eyes for a moment to take it all in. He looked at his goddess again as she began to take his member out of his pants. He was embarrassed at what she would think of him at first, but now as she took him into her mouth he couldn't look away. _No, he wouldn't look away now. He didn't want to miss a thing._

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, kudos and comments are deeply appreciated, my lovelies❤️️


	6. Andante, Andante

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sergio and Raquel delved deeper into their relationship, their souls finally intertwining.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hola everybody! Happy Thursday!  
> I've been really busy with some stuff for my organization and doing some art for my family, so I had to write this chapter rather quickly since I won't be at home on Friday to post it. I'm not fully satisfied with this chapter but hopefully, y'all will like it enough to stay hooked on the story😅  
> I promise to write a better chapter. I just really suck at writing smut, I prefer to read it lol  
> Anyways! Leave kudos and comments, please❤️️ let me know what you think and what you want to see SerQuel do in further chapters.

_Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God.._

He never was a religious man but that was the mantra that kept playing in his mind right now. He was an intellectual, a very eloquent person but, as of this moment, Sergio Marquina has left the room. He was only Sergio, the awkward and sexually inexperienced nerd who was just lucky to be breathing the same air as the goddess kneeling in front of him who was eagerly sucking on his shaft, slowly draining all coherent thoughts. Raquel was leisurely running her soft hands on his thighs, hips, abdomen, and nipples. She was making him lose his damn mind, playing with his body like it was her favorite instrument. She then gripped him at the base and sucked with a newfound enthusiasm. Sergio felt himself tense as the sensations overpowered his body to climb the peak of his orgasm.

"Raquel... I'm about to-" he croaked out. He couldn't finish the thought as Raquel sped up her ministrations.

Sergio exploded. He saw stars. _Oh, God. So, this is what heaven feels like._ He looked down to see Raquel licking him clean. She looked up at him with a triumphant grin, which is surely reflected on his face. She crawled up to him, laying kisses here and there, so they were face-to-face, kissing him hungrily. He could taste her sweet tongue with a strange earthy flavor. _It was his._ Normally he would recoil at even the thought of tasting himself but it seemed to turn him on. _Whatever Raquel was doing to him...._

"That was... that was amazing." He said, in awe with her.

"Hmm, that wasn't even the best part," she smiled mischievously.

"Is that so?"

"Pues.. let's just say that was only an appetizer. Are you ready for the main course?" She teased as she kissed her way from his jaw to his ear, scratching his hair and beard with her fingers.

Sergio felt a shiver run down his spine and felt his flaccid cock twitch back to life.

"Mmm, thank God you don't disappoint then," Raquel softly chuckled in his ear and ground her hips to his when she felt him harden underneath her, coating his cock with her essence.

She suddenly sat up and pulled off her shirt. Sergio couldn't stop his hands from touching her bare stomach, slowly inching towards her covered breasts.

"It's a front clasp," she said, smirking at him.

His hands drifted to the middle of her bra and made quick work of unclasping it, finally freeing her breasts. He lightly cupped them but Raquel reached up to cover his hands with hers and gently squeezed. He followed her lead, kneading her breast as she gyrated her hips on top of his. Raquel rose on her knees, reaching back to hold his cock in her hand, positioning it to her entrance.

They both held their breath as Raquel slowly lowered herself on his shaft. Raquel let out a sigh as she took all of him. Sergio's mind was reeling, all of his senses were on high alert. If he thought that Raquel sucking him off was amazing, then this was completely heavenly. Raquel started to move, leisurely at first and gradually sped up. The pleasure was overwhelming him. Every part of his body in tune with hers as they moved together, him following her lead in this passionate dance. He has always been a very meticulous man, perpetually having the need to be in control all the time. In this exact moment, he let himself go and let Raquel ride him into submission. Taking his hand, she guided it to her center. He's read about this before, of course. Clitoral stimulation. Just one of the many wonders of the female body. He just didn't know that his light readings would come in handy until this day. He started to rub his thumb in soft circles on her clitoris.

Raquel's back arched from his ministrations while she let a loud moan. Sergio watched in awe as she went feral on top of him, looking deeply into his eyes. He has never felt so connected to another human being before this. He was completely at her and their lust's mercy now. Sergio held onto her hip with his other hand as he thrust up to her rhythm. She rode him harder until they both gasped loudly as they reached the peak together.

_Sergio. A virgin. Well, was. And she just fucked him into tomorrow. No. Not fucked. Made love to him. Fucking was too impersonal, animalistic even. What they just did... that was more than sex. Yes, she's had sex many times before with her past boyfriends but never this intense. The raw emotion that Sergio brings out in her really heightened the experience. Trust. He trusted her enough to lead him, teach him how to play her body._

_Raquel stared affectionately at him as she lay on top of him, her entire body blanketing his. Sergio, smiling contentedly, was gently stroking her hair, and drawing slow circles on her naked back. She still couldn't believe she was his first. They say you could never forget your firsts. She certainly hasn’t, though she wasn't fond of that memory. She hoped that his would be a good one._

__

"Sergio, can I ask you a personal question?" She said in low voice.

"Querido, we're cuddling naked after making love. How much more personal could we possibly get?" he teased.

She looked pointedly at him with a smirk.

"Fine, fine. Ask away." He conceded.

"How come this is your first time? Smart, good-looking guy like you shouldn't have had any problems getting laid. I mean you've had a girlfriend, right? So, what gives?"

He looked bashful as he averted his eyes for a moment. "Well, I never thought I'd be any good. Silene would always pressure me into doing it but I held my ground because, I was scared to disappoint her with my lack of skill. She pursued me, surprising I know, but I think she was just using me for my brain because I'd help her with all her school work but then I would feel like she's just placating me by hanging all over me. And to be honest, I didn't really have that strong connection with Silene, not like what I have with you." He looked intensely at her now. "And I trust you. I trust that you wouldn't laugh in my face if I messed up and I trust you enough to be patient with me in our relationship."

Raquel was speechless. For a minute there, she didn't know how to respond to his candor. He always seems to get his words straight from his heart to hers. _He trusts me._ She cuddled even closer to him, hugging him tightly around the waist. His sincerity was like a breath of fresh air. The men of her past could never compare to him. He was thoughtful and sweet. He never undervalued her intelligence; he even encourages it with his own. She feels like they're growing together. She can see how confident Sergio slowly is becoming every day.

"Thank you for telling me, Sergio. I know it must be hard for you to trust anyone but, I promise I won't let you down. Your trust in me is something I will never take for granted." 

She laid a soft kiss on his lips and one on his neck as she breathed in the scent of their lovemaking. Listening to their even breathing, they fall asleep nestled in each other's arms.

Raquel woke up a bit disoriented. _Where was she?_ She then noticed the arm draped over her waist, the hand covering her right breast and the deep breathing on her neck. _Oh, right. Sergio's._ She turned in his arms, careful not to jostle him. Sergio simply breathed a contented sigh and tightened his embrace as she faced him. She studied his face, so relaxed in slumber. _How can a beautiful man like him be shy and insecure? Okay, maybe his shyness is utterly endearing. But his impeccable mind and his soft heart are what made her fall in love with him._ Raquel stopped herself. _In love? With Sergio?_ She thought about the notion and came to the conclusion that _yes, she really was in love with him._ She smiled fondly at his sleeping face.

"How long have you been watching me sleep?" Sergio's sleep-laced voice interrupted her thoughts.

Raquel chuckled softly, "Not long." She kissed him tenderly on the lips. "Buenos días, cariño."

"Mmm, good morning, mi diosa."

She laughed heartily, "Your goddess, huh?"

"Yes, you're my beautiful goddess and I'll worship the ground you walk on." Sergio declared as he spread kisses all over her face and neck.

"Sergio, as much as I would like for you to continue but your goddess is hungry and has to use the little girl's room or else, she's going to explode and not the kind of explosion that you would find pretty." She giggled.

"Fine." He pouted as he moved off her. "I'm going to make some breakfast, then. Eggs and toast okay with you?"

"Yes, please." She stood up, in all her naked glory and padded to the bathroom, leaving Sergio gaping at her like a fish. She turned around as she reached the door, only to see him not having moved an inch. He looked like he was in a trance. She smirked. "Those eggs aren't going to cook themselves now, will they?"

"C-como?" Sergio stuttered.

"You. Kitchen. Breakfast. Eggs."

"Oh, right!" He said as he scrambled off the bed to find his boxers and cook some breakfast.

Raquel shook her head in amusement. _Too damn cute_. She proceeded to do her business in the bathroom before coming out to hear that Sergio had his radio on. Since Sergio had been too pleased to look at her earlier, she opted not to dress yet.

_Take it easy with me, please  
Touch me gently like a summer evening breeze  
Take your time, make it slow  
Andante, Andante  
Just let the feeling grow_

She approached the coffee machine next to him while he was cooking their eggs, and started to pour herself a cup when Sergio finally spotted her in the corner of his eye. He did a double-take, staring at her as he did earlier.

"You're going to burn the eggs." She pointed out to him as she giggled into her coffee.

"Joder!" Sergio hurriedly turned off the burner and scraped the eggs into a plate.

Raquel started to sing along to the radio as she placed her cup of coffee on the counter and took him into her arms, urging him to dance with her. Sergio smiled down at her while swaying softly to the music.

_Make your fingers soft and light  
Let your body be the velvet of the night  
Touch my soul, you know how  
Andante, Andante  
Go slowly with me now_

_I'm your music  
(I am your music and I am your song)  
I'm your song  
(I am your music and I am your song)  
Play me time and time again and make me strong  
(Play me again 'cause you're making me strong)  
Make me sing, make me sound  
(You make me sing and you make me...)  
Andante, Andante  
Tread lightly on my ground  
Andante, Andante  
Oh please don't let me down_

They were so lost in their dance that they didn't hear someone unlock and enter the apartment door.

"Hermanito, what's coo-?" Andres started to call out when he saw them.

The sight of his brother brought Sergio out of their little bubble. He quickly turned them around to hide her naked body from Andres' view. "Andres! What are you doing here?!"

Andres only laughed. "I'm sorry to interrupt. Good morning, you two. I assume you're Raquel?"

Blushing profusely, she finally peaked her head out from Sergio's back to look at his brother and give him a little wave. “Sí, and you must be Andres.”


	7. The Way You Make Me Feel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raquel finally meets Andres and Sergio confesses to his brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Friday, everyone! How are you all?  
> First of all, I would like to dedicate this chapter to my crazy friends on Twitter! Y'all know who you are! I love you all to bits!  
> To my readers, I'm also grateful to all of you! Your support has been a tremendous boost to my self-esteem, y'all have no idea.  
> I'm hoping this chapter will suffice for this week.. I'm currently freaking out about my online classes for my master's degree so my brain is kind of fried. Y'alls feedback/comments would really help me build the next chapter so if you have any suggestions, feel free to comment here or message me on Twitter @gilliansitziar.

Raquel was naked in his small kitchen while his big brother stood at the foyer with an amused expression on his face. Sergio was completely mortified at this point.

“Andres! Can you please close your eyes and turn around? We’d like to get dressed.” he exclaimed at his older brother.

Andrés couldn’t wipe the amusement from his face as he turned around so they could scurry off to get dressed.

Sergio hurriedly deposited Raquel in the bathroom before collecting their scattered clothes around his bed and getting two shirts from his drawer for him and Raquel. Once inside the bathroom together, they looked at each other and broke out in laughter.

“Lo siento mucho, Raquel,” he said while laughing. “I don’t know what he’s doing here so early on a Saturday morning.”

“It’s no problem, Sergio but, I have to say that was the most interesting way to meet my boyfriend’s family member.” She giggled as she took her clothes from him.

“If he got an eyeful of you then I might just have to wring his neck, just for fun.” He mumbled as he put on his shirt, trying to button it up.

“I doubt he did, Sergio. You were pretty quick in hiding me” Raquel chuckled as she moved towards him and moved her fingers on his chest, “although you defending my honor is quite a turn on.”

He watched a still half-naked Raquel go up on tiptoe to kiss him. Tugging on his hair, she pulled away and whispered, “You better go back out there, or else your brother might think we’re already doing something other than putting on clothes in here.”

“Hmm, I much prefer you without clothes, anyway.” He whispered into her neck, lightly sucking on the veins of her neck.

Raquel’s moan definitely encouraged him but she yanked on his hair again to get his attention. “Oh, so you just like me for my body then?” She asked with a grave expression.

That made him stop his exploration of her neck. “I-I.. No! Raquel you know I-, "he stuttered. He saw her serious face transform into a smirk.

“Of course, I’m messing with you, Sergio!” she laughed. “Now, out you go. I need to finish getting dressed. Also, I don’t want your brother thinking I’ve turned you into some kind of sex fiend.”

“Oh, trust me, he’d probably be thrilled of the notion.” He said huskily into her ear, biting her lobe and gently rubbing his erection to her still bare mound. He stared at her as she bit her lip and groaned loudly.

“Okay, maybe we can be quick,” Raquel moaned as she jumped into his arms and wrapped her legs around his waist. He didn’t wait for further encouragement. He backed her up against the bathroom wall, raising her up a bit to position himself to her entrance and slowly lowered her onto himself. _God, she’s already so wet._ With his hands on her ass, he gave quick hard thrusts while Raquel scraped her nails on his back. “Sergio… harder.” He heard her whisper. He didn’t know what came over him but he went feral with her words, snapping his hips to hers while Raquel buried one of her hands in his hair and the other clutching on his nape – holding on for dear life as they chased their orgasm. He felt her inner muscles grip him as she fell apart at the seams. The pure ecstasy on her face, and the moans of pleasure that she tried to suppress, made him tip over the edge as he came with her.

“Sergio..” Raquel chuckled breathlessly, slightly dazed, “are you sure you haven’t done this before? Because you just gave me one of the best orgasms I've ever had in my life."

"I'm pretty sure," he laughed softly into her neck. Lifting his face to smirk at her, "I have a very good teacher."

Raquel huffed and rolled her eyes. "Flattery might give you some brownie points. For later. But now you have to go out there and face your brother. I have to shower."

"Can't I join you instead? " he asked, putting on his best puppy face.

"Maybe next time. Now, off you go." She playfully dismissed him.

"As you wish, Inspectora." He teased back while he got dressed and left the bathroom to rejoin his brother in the kitchen.

"Don't start." He said to Andres as he neared him and saw that his brother was about to quip something smart, he could tell from the amused expression still present on his face.

"Oh, come on, hermanito. It's completely normal for you to have a sexual appetite, especially with a woman like Raquel. I mean she's -"

"Stop. I don't want to talk about my sex life with you." He told his brother, annoyed.

"Seeing as this is the first time you did have a sex life..." Andres eyed him as he casually sipped his coffee, Sergio didn’t even noticed he had. "But in all seriousness, Sergio, from the little time we've spent together lately since you started dating Raquel, I've never seen you this happy. Not even with Silene, I never really liked that one, by the way. She was too full of herself, completely impulsive, and was basically using you for school work. I'm glad you broke up with her."

Sergio felt that he wasn't finished with his spiel so he remained silent.

"I won't say I'm disappointed we haven't seen each other much these past months because now I can see that you're happy. _She_ makes you happy. _She's_ making you enjoy life. And as the older brother who has been begging you _for years_ to live a little, I am beyond delighted you found her."

He looked softly at his brother. Andrés' words couldn't be more true. "She really does make me happy. I feel like I'm in constant euphoria whenever we're together." He said with a wistful smile on his lips.

"Are you in love with her?" Andrés asked.

Sergio paused. He carefully placed the plate of eggs and toast back on the counter. _In love? With Raquel? He wasn't familiar with that feeling. What he does know was that Raquel has awakened his very soul. He hasn't felt more alive. Her very presence brings him endless joy. Her laugh brightens up his world. He would die for her smile. If this is what being in love feels like then.._

"Yes, I'm in love with her." He simply said.

Andrés stood up, approached him with a huge smile on his face, and whispered. "Well, I'll be damned! My little brother's in love."

Sergio accepted his hug with a dopey smile on his face. The sudden realization of his feelings had him in an elated trance.

"Should I invite her to Christmas dinner then?" Andrés quietly teased.

Before Sergio could answer, Raquel appeared from the bathroom. Her slightly damp hair cascading down her back. She was wearing a smile, and one of his shirts tucked to yesterday's jean shorts. He stared as she approached them. He felt Andrés release him from their embrace and turned to kiss Raquel on both cheeks.

"Hola, Raquel. I'm Andrés. So nice to finally meet the woman that has captured my little brother's heart." Andrés beamed at her.

Raquel blushed. "Hola, Andrés. I must admit I've always wondered what you were like. I've seen you with him at the bar that night we met, and I've heard a lot about you from Sergio."

"All bad, I hope." Andrés chuckled. "Has my brother been sharing to you my many exploits? Because I promise you I could be a perfect gentleman." He then took her hand and kissed the back of it.

Sergio stepped forward, alarmed by his brother's antics but Raquel already snatched back her hand and playfully slapped him on the chest as she passed him to get to Sergio who was standing by the counter with her breakfast next to him. "I know enough about guys like you. The heart breaker type. Pathological charmers but would easily drop women as soon as it gets serious or the thrill dies out."

"Oh, you're good," Andrés smirks at her. He then looks at Sergio. "She's damn good. I sure hope you marry her."

The two lovers' eyes simultaneously widened and shyly glanced at each other, not knowing what to say. Sergio suddenly cleared his throat. "So, Andrés have you eaten breakfast yet?"

"No, actually, I was hoping to get some with you. But since you already have company I'll just shoot off now and leave you lovebirds to your breakfast." Andrés stood up. "Again, nice to meet you, Raquel. I'm hoping to see you again soon." He smiled and walked to the door to make his exit.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Raquel was about to walk out of the bathroom when she overheard the brothers talking in the kitchen. Apparently Andrés was telling Sergio how he's noticed how happy he was lately, and that he never actually liked Silene as his brother's girlfriend. _I have a feeling he and I are going to be having lengthy discussions about this particular topic._

_"She really does make me happy. I feel like I'm in constant euphoria whenever we're together."_

She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face when she heard Sergio's voice, telling his brother about how _she_ made him happy. _Oh, cariño, the feeling is mutual._

_"Are you in love with her?"_ She heard Andrés ask. Her heart was suddenly beating in a rapid pace. _They have never talked about love before. Of course, she loved him. But she didn't know if he did her. Yes, they've been intimate and called each other sweet names but they never said those three words to each other yet. She never dared to say it, scared to be rejected, like the other times she professed her love to her significant others before him. Was she falling too fast and hard? Is this all just one-sided? God, she hoped not._

_"Yes, I'm in love with her."_

She felt her heart constrict as she heard the answer to her prayer _. He was in love with her._ The pure elation she was feeling cannot be compared to anything she has ever experienced. Not even sex with Sergio, but close enough. _I can't wait for him to tell me so I could say it back. In the meantime, I'll just have to show him._

Trying to compose herself she put on a warm face and walked out to the kitchen to see the brothers hugging. She smiled at the picture they made. She didn't really think of Sergio as a very affectionate person except towards her, he always seemed to be awkward and distant with people but apparently not with his family.

She's definitely heard about Andrés. She wasn't really judging him and the string of women he's left behind which, according to Sergio, was a long one. But as a Psychology major, she couldn't help analyzing him a bit. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind so she put him in his place before he tried anything else, much to both of their amusement. She felt his strong approval of her and that warmed her heart. Narcissistic and egotistical traits aside, he seemed to really love his brother. She'd give him the benefit of the doubt but she trusts he'll be in good behavior around her since he appears to respect Sergio and his principles.

Even after Andrés left, his mention of marriage still hung in the air which they both tried to ignore as they ate their breakfast. She could feel Sergio thinking while sat next to her in his small kitchen table.

"So, what are your plans this weekend?" She said, trying to break the silence and awkwardness.

"With finals coming up next week, I'm planning to be a hermit and do a lot of studying." He said as he stood up and took their empty plates and coffee cups to the sink. "What about you? Any plans with Alicia? "

"I think so, yeah. But Alicia is sort of unpredictable. She'd sometimes want to be alone while studying, other times she'd pester me to go out with her instead of actually studying for our exams so.." she came up and hugged him from behind while he was watching the dishes. "You're welcome to come over and study there with me."

Sergio chuckled low in his throat. Finishing the dishes, he turned around in her arms to face her. "Yes, studying. We both know how good Our studying went last night."

Raquel giggled mischievously. "From what I remember, you learned plenty. Right, Professor?" She let her hands roam his arms, gently massaging his shoulders. Finally resting them at his nape, she teased the ends of his hair. She felt him tremble at the contact. His hands tightened on her waist.

He leaned down to kiss her on the lips, her cheeks and to her ears, he whispered, "Well, as I said before, I had a very good teacher."

The way his beard scratched her neck and lobe sent a shiver down to her groin. _God, the effect he has on me..._ Just then, she felt something poke her stomach. "Ah, I see my very eager student has shown up to class."

"Hmm, we better get studying then." Bending at the knees, Sergio braced his forearms under her ass and lifted her.

"Vamos." She said huskily as he carried her back to his bed, feverishly kissing him on the lips. As Sergio laid her down, she broke the kiss and held his face in her hands. "Sergio, wait."

"What is it, mi amor?" He asked as turned his head to kiss the palm of her hand.

"I love you."

Shock evident in his chocolate brown eyes, they immediately sought hers. A slow smile formed on his lips as her words washed over him.

"I love you, too, Raquel."

Finally hearing him say the words to her caused the butterflies in her stomach to flutter around like crazy and a warm feeling grew in her chest. Smiling back at him, she kissed him with the same amount of passion, maybe even more. _This is it. This is the happiest day of my life._


	8. Truly, Madly, Deeply

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raquel is reminded by her mother of some important family plans that may or may not concern Sergio.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Saturday, lovely people!  
> Firstly, I want to dedicate this chapter to my friend Nicole (@abnegation_) Happy birthday, baby girl! Love u❤️️  
> Second, I didn't get write much so I apologize for being AWOL for the past two weeks(?) But hopefully, you guys have read my latest update for my other fic, Loving You In Paradise.  
> Thirdly, I made a Spotify playlist for this fic, and I highly recommend you listen to it while reading😉 https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5tSv42WRJk4xXzmBdjUxAY?si=hVzIr54YShm-MN9I6sLjsQ

_Sergio has been the perfect boyfriend,_ Raquel thought _. Sensitive, funny, and not controlling her every move. Doting but not overbearing. It's ridiculous how she constantly thinks and talks about him even when he's not around. Alicia must be annoyed with my constant rambling about how amazing Sergio was. Honestly, I'd be annoyed with myself too but I'm too in love to give a damn. I just scored in the boyfriend department and I can't be blamed for sharing that with everyone._

"Raquel? Are you still there, hija?" Marivi asked on the other end of the line.

"¡Ay, sí! Lo siento, mamá. I just got lost in thought for a minute there." Raquel said, having completely forgotten that she was on the phone with her mother.

"Thinking about that boy again, I presume?"

"No! Don't be ridiculous, mamá. I was just thinking about-"

"Tsk tsk. Raquel.." Marivi said in a teasing tone. "What have I told you about lying to me?"

Raquel blushed, embarrassed at being called out by her own mother. "Sorry, mamá." She said in a small voice.

Her mother chuckled. "Well then, since the reason I called was to confirm when you were arriving here for the holidays, may I propose that you invite Sergio? We'd all like to meet him. You make him sound like an angel."

"Mamá..." she said with caution in her voice.

"Oh, come now, hija! We're not that bad! I promise not to give him the third degree." Marivi teased her.

"Fine, but you have to promise me that you'll tell papá to behave, too."

"Alright, alright. I promise."

"Okay, thank you. I'll invite him to Christmas dinner. Hopefully, we'll see you then, mamá. Love you."

"I love you, too, hija. Goodbye."

Raquel sighed to her empty apartment when she heard the phone click as her mother ended the call. _Was it too soon in their relationship? I hope to God I don't freak him out with this invitation._

"Oh, hey, Raquel!" Alicia exclaimed as she entered their apartment door with a bag of groceries in her arms that she placed in their dining table. "What's wrong? Why do you have your worried face on? Is it Sergio? What the hell did he do to you?! I swear to God if he-"

"No, no, Alicia!" Raquel stood up with her eyes wide with alarm because she knew Alicia would overreact and race to find Sergio and beat him up. "Sergio didn’t do anything to me. Everything's fine between us. Honestly." She sighed again. "I just got off the phone with my mother. She wanted me to invite Sergio for Christmas with me at home."

"And? What's wrong with that? I thought you two were going strong?"

"We are! I'm just really anxious about what his reaction will be when I ask him. You know he's not the most social person in the world. And he hasn't had a lot of relationships like ours before. The last girl he dated was this bitch who cheated on him back in high school, who is coincidentally going here next semester. Don't even get me started with that hija de puta." She rattled on as she paced in their small living area.

Settling on their couch, while she watched Raquel burn a hole on their floor with her pacing, Alicia interrupted her rant. "Okay, wait. First things, first. Yes, I get where you're coming from. But from what I can see in the months you and Sergio have been dating, he's been out with us a lot and he seems to have gained some confidence. I mean he's mingling with our other friends more? And he throws in more quips and jokes lately than when you guys started going out."

"I guess you're right." Raquel mused with a small smile on her face, thinking of Sergio's quick mind and charming self.

"Of course, I'm right, Raquel! When am I not? So, the second point; how did you know his ex was coming here next semester? And when would you like to kick her ass so I could make myself available?"

"Oh! I completely forgot to tell you the time Silene, that's her name," she promptly rolled her eyes at the mention of the girl's name, "came up to us in Hanoi and was all over Sergio, kissing and hugging him like she had every right!"

"That bitch!" Alicia gasped.

"I know! So Sergio introduced us, and I shook her hand in a death grip while staring her down. And the bitch had the audacity to give me a sarcastic smile. I swear to God if Sergio left us alone together, I would've ripped her hair out." She huffed.

Alicia cackled. "Oh my God! I would've paid good money to see that. I can't believe you forgot to tell me this!"

Raquel blushed, remembering the reason why she put that little tidbit in her mind. "It was, um... It was also the same day Sergio and I made love for the first time."

She laughed at Alicia's shocked expression.

Alicia jumped up from the couch for a moment to grab Raquel's hand to make her sit down with her. "I _cannot believe_ you haven't told me this! I'm really considering canceling our friendship but I'm more than happy to let it go as long as you spill the details! Was it good? Did he make you come?"

Raquel couldn't stop her laughter. "It was pretty amazing, okay?! The fact that it was his first time and he made me come was a feat in of itself."

"He was a virgin before you?! Oh my God, Raquel!" Alicia exclaimed in disbelief.

"Yes, but we'll never speak about it again, promise?"

"Of course, of course. My lips are sealed. Wow, my mind is still reeling." Alicia blew out a breath, resting her arm on the back of the couch and hugged her around the shoulders. "Joder, Raquel, I've really missed just hanging out here and talking like this."

"I know. I'm sorry if I've been spending most of my time with Sergio."

"No, no. I'm not gonna lie and say that I'm not a tiny bit jealous. But, you haven’t been this happy since Alberto fucked up your aura. I'm happy that you've finally found someone that makes you shine, chica."

"Me, too." Raquel sniffed, as tears started to well up in her eyes. She hugged her best friend back, wrapping her arms around Alicia's waist. "Thank you for being so good to me, Ali. I don't know what I'd be right now without your constant support."

She heard Alicia sniff, too. "You bitch. You're making me cry, too!"

Raquel laughed at their situation. "I'm sorry, honey. Should I get the ice cream in the freezer?" She suggested as she stood up from the couch and walked to their kitchen to unpack the groceries and fetch the ice cream.

"God, yes! And grab some chips in the cabinet, too!" Alicia called out to her.

She merely shook her head and smiled. _We needed this girl's night._

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

Sergio's eyes were closed as he savored Raquel's fingers weaving through his chest hairs and tracing soft circles on his skin. They were on his bed, in his little apartment. Basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking. _I don't know what I was so afraid of. Sex with Raquel was so passionate and intimate. She didn't seem to mind his lack of experience. She was always patient in teaching him the ways she liked to be touched and stroked. She showed him pleasure he never knew existed until he met her. And he's not even talking about the lovemaking alone. Raquel brought out the best in him. Her constant positivity and soft smiles gave him so much joy and even feel himself getting more confident. All because of her._

"Sergio? Are you asleep?" Raquel's warm voice brought him out of his thoughts.

He slowly opened his eyes and saw that Raquel was watching his face. "Hmm. No, cariño, I'm awake." He looked more closely at her expression and noticed she seemed anxious. "What is it, Raquel?"

"Um.. we have to talk about something," Raquel said nervously.

Sergio panicked. _Is she going to break it off with me?_ _No, no, no, no..._ "I'm sorry, cariño. Did I do something wrong?"

Raquel's eyes widened in alarm. "What? No! You haven't done anything wrong. You're perfect, actually." She scooted up on top of him, their faces were close enough to kiss. So she did. Sliding her soft lips to his. Breaking the kiss, she looked at him, again and continued. "So perfect, that I apparently won't shut about you whenever I talk to my family. So... my mother asked me to ask you if you'd be okay to spend Christmas with us. No pressure, okay? I mean if you-"

"Raquel," Sergio interrupted her. He let out a small sigh of relief and smiled. "Yes. I'll go if you want me to. Do you want me there?"

Surprised, Raquel blurted out, "Yes. Of course, I want you there!" She seemed to relax a bit. "I was just really anxious about what your reaction was gonna be. I didn't want to freak you out and have you running for the hills at the mention of a family gathering with me."

"Oh, Raquel. Don't you already know? I'm truly," he gave a quick kiss on one cheek, "madly," kiss on the other cheek, "deeply in love with you." Finally, a kiss on the lips. "I was actually scared you were going to break up with me for a minute there. I was just about ready to go down on my knees to beg for forgiveness for whatever I did wrong." He chuckled.

Raquel reached up her hand to touch his face, and soft expression on hers and smiled. "How could I break up with you? I just said you were a perfect boyfriend."

Sergio laughed softly. "Well, you should've led with that. What was I suppose to think when you said we needed to talk about something, in a serious tone?"

"We're quite a pair, then," Raquel said, laughing with him.

"Yes, we are." He said, raising his hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'd be happy to come with you to your family's house for Christmas. In one condition."

Raquel raised her eyebrows in question.

"Come with me to San Sebastian for New Year’s."

Raquel raised her head that was resting on his chest to look him in the eyes. "Yes."

**Christmas Eve**

Sergio wiped his damp hands on his khaki pants for the hundredth time. He and Raquel left her apartment at 7:30 to catch their 5pm train to Pamplona. They were sat in a booth for over two hours now. He listened to Raquel tell him what he pretty much should be expecting once they get to her family home. Her excited chatter was very heart-warming to him because she obviously loved her family very much. On the other hand, it finally struck him that he was going to meet her parents. That made him very nervous. He didn't let it show, though. He was going to put on a brave and hope to God they'll think he was enough for their daughter.

"..and I have a beautiful three-year-old niece named Sofia. She's single-handedly the sweetest and most adorable little girl in the world. I'm her favorite aunt, obviously." Raquel said as she waved her hands in little gestures as if she were squeezing an invisible child's face.

He smiled widely at her. "Oh, I just bet you spoil her rotten, don't you?"

Raquel leaned her head to him and said conspiratorially, "You bet."

"I can't wait to meet her." He chuckled.

Raquel smiled proudly at him and took one of his hands in hers. She frowned and looked down at their intertwined hands. "Why are your hands damp? Are you nervous?"

He blushed and shyly looked down. "Yes."

She simply smiled and looped her arm in his, scooting closer to him. She started to rub his forearms for comfort and reassured him, "You don't have to be nervous, Sergio. _I love you._ And so will they. I promise."

_Ding dong._ Nervously adjusting the strap of his bag on his shoulder, Sergio looked at Raquel. She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "Everything will be fine. Trust me." She whispered.

Sergio nodded and faced the door that was opened by a smiling middle-aged woman with short hair that had a few strands of white in them.

"Hija! Just in time for dinner." She rushed to envelop Raquel in her arms and kissed her cheeks.

"Hola, mamá. I'd like you to meet Sergio. Sergio, this is my mother, Marivi." Raquel said with shining eyes.

She then turned to Sergio and smiled brighter, giving him the same gesture as she did with her daughter. "Sergio, finally we meet! Come in, come in."

"So, where's papá?" Raquel asked as they stepped through the door and put down their bags on the floor.

"In the living room with your sisters and niece, hija." Marivi called out to her as she walked back to the kitchen.

Raquel led Sergio in a well-lit and spacious living area where a middle-aged man sat in a lounge chair while two women were playing with a little girl on the carpet. It was quite a picturesque scene. The earth tones of the interior, contrasting with the family's bright colored clothes. Raquel quietly moved to embrace her father from behind and kissed his cheek. "Hola, papá. ¿Cómo estás?"

Elated, the man stood up and hugged his daughter. "Raquel. We've missed you so much, hija! How come you don't visit your folks anymore?"

Laughing, Raquel said, "Papa, I'd like you to meet someone." She looked at Sergio gestured for him to step forward. "Papa, this is Sergio. Sergio, this is my father, Avelino Murillo."

Sergio moved to shake his hand. The old man grasped his hand firmly while looking at him intensely.

"So, you're the reason why my daughter hasn't visited in months." The old man said gruffly, still gripping his hand.

Sergio broke out in a cold sweat, nervously adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose. "Sir, I'm-"

"Papá! Stop it! Mamá promised you'd behave!" Raquel jokingly scolded her father.

The man’s face finally softened with a smile, chuckling. "I'm only joking, son. But I won't be joking if you ever hurt my daughter."

"Papá!" Raquel cried out exasperatedly, shaking her head. "Don't mind him, Sergio."

"You have nothing to worry about, sir. I'd rather stab my own heart before I hurt her." He said sincerely to her father who nodded his agreement.

"Tia Raquel!" The little girl squealed as she ran toward Raquel. The two women standing up from the floor and approached them.

"Sofia, mi amor!" Catching her niece, she hoisting Sofia up to her body and swung her around. Facing her sisters, she gestured to the blonde and brunette, "Sergio meet my sisters, Mónica and Ágata."

Sergio exchanged pleasantries with the two women who seemed to be studying with approving smiles. Sofia then decided to speak up, "Hola, Sergio. Do you do magic?"

Smiling warmly at the child he said, "No, but I do origami."

"You do?!" The little girl exclaimed and wiggled down Raquel's body. She reached up and tugged at his hand. "Can you please teach me?"

He glanced up at Raquel who gave him an excited nod. "Of course, Sofia." He told the little girl.

"Dinner's ready!" Marivi called from the kitchen.

Everyone filed into the kitchen but Raquel grabbed Sergio's hand to pause him. He threw her a questioning face. She simply looked up to the ceiling. He followed her gaze and saw a mistletoe hanging above their heads. He looked back down at her and smirked.

"You have to kiss me now. That’s the rule." Raquel whispered with a grin.

He grinned and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Gladly." He leaned down to softly touch his lips to hers in a sweet kiss.

[Your Love Is My Music playlist (Spotify)](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5tSv42WRJk4xXzmBdjUxAY?si=hVzIr54YShm-MN9I6sLjsQ)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please drop some comments and kudos!❤️️


	9. Photograph

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Have they been naughty or nice? Sergio and Raquel's Christmas with the Murillos continues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Wednesday, everyone! It's good to be back!! I know it's been ages since I last updated this fic and for that, I am truly sorry. I just kind of lost a bit of inspiration. And of course my laziness being one of the main reasons lmao  
> Anyways, I'd like to thank my friends from la casa de clowns and my dear friend Rheana for pestering me to update😅  
> also thank you @lonelychicagos for proofreading this so fast earlier☺️

  
  


Christmas dinner went by without a hitch. Raquel’s family welcomed him with open arms and a lively conversation. Sergio learned all about Monica as the shy older sister who got married early and had Sofia, but unfortunately her husband, Ricardo, was too busy to come with his family here for Christmas. As for Ágata, she was the spunky and lovable younger sister who just loves tormenting her older siblings with pranks. Raquel, he learned, was the wild middle child since her early teens and got into a lot of trouble with her parents.

"In my defense, me and my friends weren't _that_ bad. I was just trying to live my life to the fullest. Besides, I had good grades _and_ graduated at the top of my class!" Raquel laughingly defended.

"Oh, oh! Remember when you took Papá's car keys to sneak out with your boyfriend to that party and crashed it onto our fence?!" Ágata exclaimed.

Raquel gave her a death glare. "Remember when you asked me to cover for you when-"

Ágata gasped. "Shut up! You promised you would never speak of that again!"

"Then you better stop embarrassing me in front of my boyfriend before I throw this dessert at your face." Raquel told her sister.

Avelino and Marivi merely chuckled at their girls. Throwing apologetic looks at Sergiofor their children's rowdiness. He beamed at them, silently telling them it was no problem at all. His family dinners weren't this loud and exciting. Theirs were usually somber and quaint since he was a sickly child and his parents were happy, but shy people. He found this atmosphere rather refreshing. 

Sergio searched for Raquel’s hand under the tablecloth and held it in his. She looked at him and smiled, the annoyance on her face instantly melting away. He gave her a smile back and mouthed, "I love you." Raquel’s face brightened up some more and mouthed an, "I love you" back.

"Okay, girls," Avelino said, "You know the rules, time to clean up."

"Ah, sir, I was thinking I'd wash the dishes since you've been so kind enough to have me for Christmas." Sergio offered.

"Oh no, son. We can't--"

"Don't worry, Papá. I'll help him." Raquel interjected, smiling sweetly at her father as she stood up and gathered the plates. 

"Okay then, hija. Make sure you don't let our guest do _all_ of the work?"

"Of course, Papá. Now, why don't you all go relax in the living room and start our traditional Christmas movie marathon?"

The Murillos started filing out from the dining table and into the living area with a happy chatter. Sergio and Raquel were left alone to do clean up duty. He was already starting with the plates when Raquel deposited the remaining dishes from the table to the counter next to him and slowly hugged him from behind.

"Hmm, I like seeing you like this. All warm and domesticated." Raquel whispered huskily.

Sergio replied with a quiet chuckle, "Do you now?"

"Oh, yes, definitely. The only thing missing is a little spawn of ours running around."

That made him pause. He placed the plate he was washing on the rack to dry and turned around in her arms.

"Well, I've met your family. Maybe after New Year's in San Sebastian, we can talk more about little spawns. What do you think?" He smiled warmly at her.

Raquel looked surprised for a moment, as if she wasn't expecting him to take her teasing so seriously. But now that she imagined it, that scenario was quite beautiful. She stood on tiptoe and laid a gentle kiss on his lips. Sergio cradled her head in his hands, gently stroking her golden brown tresses. Stepping away from him, she surreptitiously got hold of the dish towel on the counter and twisted it in her hands then she let it land a quick snap on the side of Sergio's thigh.

"Ow!" Sergio exclaimed. "Oh, you're gonna get it." He proceeded to dip his hands in the sudsy water behind him and flicked them towards Raquel who shrieked in surprise as she covered her face and bolted to her side to avoid the spray. Sergio took the opportunity to lunge at her with his hands on her waist, restlessly tickling her. She howled in merry laughter as he continued his attack. Their loud laughter was silenced by a voice coming from the kitchen doorway.

"Tia Raquel?" Sofia called as she entered the kitchen. "What are you doing?"

Patting Sergio's forearms to tell him to release her, she made her way to the little girl. "Oh, nothing. Sergio and I were just playing. What is it, cariño?"

"Abuela asked me to tell you if you could please make some coffee for the grown ups?"

"Sure, cariño. We'll finish up here and bring coffee in the living room in a couple of minutes, okay?"

"Okay, Tia Raquel." Sofia smiled and walked out of the kitchen.

Raquel went back to Sergio who was finishing with the dishes.

"You're so good with her," he said.

She merely smiled at him and continued on with their tasks. After placing everything used during dinner back in the cabinets, Raquel made coffee. She and Sergio delivered it to the family on the couch, watching A Christmas Carol on the television. They sat down together on the floor to watch one of the Christmas classics with the rest of the family. After the credits rolled, Raquel decided to announce that she'll go and show Sergio where he'll be sleeping and excused themselves for bed since they were both tired from their trip. _Good nights_ were exchanged before they collected their bags on the floor near the front door and headed up the stairs. 

Raquel opened her old bedroom which was the last door from the stairs. "Don't mind the mess. I guess Mamá didn't bother to move my things since I last visited. I'll be bunking with Ágata while you're here." She watched as Sergio circled the small room, inspecting her little trinkets here and there. This should've been uncomfortable for her but she felt at ease seeing him roam her space where she grew up in.

Sergio sat on her single bed, his eyes still wandering around the room until it fell on her and smiled. "Wow. Raquel Murillo's childhood bedroom. I feel honored."

She walked up to him and stood in between his knees. With her hands on his shoulders she giggled and said, "Oh, shut up. You know, you're the first boy I have had up here."

"Really?" Sergio asked, his brows raised in question. 

"Mm-hmm. I've always fantasized about having a boy up here. My parents were rather strict about that and my sisters are big tattlers so I don't trust them to cover for me." She started to run her hands through his hair, lightly scratching his scalp with her nails.

"Well, _now_ I'm definitely honored." Sergo teased.

"Hmm, you should be because of what I'm about to do next." Raquel whispered huskily as she kissed him deeply for moments and proceeded to sink on her knees in front of him.

"R-Raquel, what are you-" Sergio stuttered out before she shushed him.

"Now, now, Sergio you have to keep quiet or you won't get your early Christmas gift."

That ultimately shut him up. She grinned mischievously at him as she hastily started to unbuckle his belt and undo his fly. She could feel one of his hands reaching for the side of her face, cradling it gently so she would look him in the eyes. His eyes were asking, "are you sure?" She gave him a small nod and a smirk before she descended her lips to his crotch. 

She finally took him out of the confines of his jeans and started licking him up and down. She took him in her mouth and smiled around his already hard member as she heard him groan low in his throat. She peered up at him through her lashes to see him biting his lip and locking eyes with her. Raquel gave his shaft measured pumps with her fist and deliciously sucked his tip with her mouth. It didn't take long for her to feel Sergio's hands in her hair as he climbed the peak of his orgasm. With every fiber of his being, he tried his hardest to contain his groan of ecstasy as he came in her mouth.

Raquel drank him in, and continued to lick him clean of his essence. She finally looked up at him and smirked while wiping the corner of her lips with her forefinger for any spillage. "Merry Christmas, mi amor."

Sergio was struggling to catch his breath as he watched Raquel slowly rise to her feet and leaned down to kiss him fervently on the lips. He could taste his earthy flavor mixed with the sweetness of her tongue. 

"The best Christmas present. Ever." He said breathlessly.

"Only the best for my man."

"Your man, huh?"

"Yes, my man. You have a problem with that?"

"Hmm, not at all. I'm all yours, querida."

With a warm smile on her face, Raquel gave him one last kiss before stepping away and opening the door. "I'll see you bright and early in the morning. Good night, Sergio."

"Good night, Raquel. I'll be waiting." He called out softly as she closed the door to go in Ágata's room, the smile never leaving her face.

**Christmas Morning**

Raquel woke up rather early. She looked out the window and saw that the sun was just peaking to greet the world of a new day. Knowing her family, they wouldn't be up for an hour or so. She slowly shifted on the bed, as not to wake up her sleeping sister. She got up and padded to her bag on the floor to get her actual gift for Sergio. Silently, she walked down the hallway and slowly opened the door to her room. She found him in his regular pajamas, still asleep on his side. Still walking on her tiptoes, she went to place her gift next to him and slipped in bed with him. She watched him stir at her movement so she decided to wake him up properly with a kiss. 

"Raquel..." Sergio whispered, still half asleep.

"Merry Christmas, Sergio." She said as she shifted the well-wrapped gift box to his line of sight.

She saw his eyes sparkle with delight as he excitedly took the gift from her. He paused for a moment, just as he was about to open it. He bent down to retrieve something from his bag on the floor beside the bed. He shyly offered her a rectangular box wrapped in shiny gold wrapping paper. Smiling, she took the box and shifted herself to a sitting position so they sat side by side with their backs to the bed's headboard. After exchanging excited glances, they tore the packaging of their gifts at the same time.

Raquel was the first one to open hers and she let out a soft gasp. In the box, she found a dainty and elegant gold necklace with a moon dangling on the chain and two stars beside it. It was simple and beautiful. She loved it. Glancing at Sergio, she noticed him watching her, his gift still wrapped. 

"I wanted to give you the moon and stars. I know it's cheesy but that's more or less just a metaphor. I want to give you all the love and happiness you deserve. For the rest of our lives." He said softly.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she felt her heart melt at his words. She leaned forward and gave him a sweet kiss. "Sergio, this is gorgeous. Thank you so much. I love it. Could you?" 

She offered the necklace to him and shifted positions to show him her back. Sergio gently sweeped her hair to the side, placing the necklace on her and locking it at the base of her neck. He gave her a soft kiss at the side of her neck and he heard her sigh contentedly. 

Moving to face him again, she looked at him expectantly. "Go on, open yours."

He made quick work of carefully unwrapping her gift to him. He took the item out of the box and held it up to eye level and looked at it in wonder. He shifted his eyes to hers, "How did you know?"

"I saw you eyeing it back in that shop we went to a couple of weeks ago and I know how you appreciate photography. So I put two and two together and bought that the next day." She explained. 

Sergio's smile was wide as he moved the polaroid camera in front of her face and aimed the lens at her. 

"Smile." 

Raquel mirrored his smile as she posed for him. They both waited excitedly for the photo to print out and slowly develop before their eyes.

"Beautiful." He said.

She smiled shyly at him and took the camera from him. She extended up her arm and scooted close to him. She aimed the lens at them and snapped a photo. And just like moments earlier, they waited to see the print and there they saw two people in love with goofy smiles on their faces. 

She was all smiles and warmth. Sergio couldn’t resist kissing her then. He heard the thump of the polaroid camera being placed on the nightstand beside her. He then felt her hands roaming his upper body until they settled in his hair. His own hands on her waist lazily travelled down to her body, gently rubbing her center through the material of her soft cotton nightgown and underwear. Her answering moan just fueled his desire to make her come in his hands. 

Hitching up the hem of her nightgown, his hand made its way inside her panties and to her oversensitive clit. He stroked in gentle circles at first until he heard her breath hitch which was usually a sign that she's near the peak, so he sped up his fondling as she captured her orgasm and rode it out with his finger still in her. Breathlessly, she pulled him into a long, passionate kiss.

A sharp knock on the door startled them, followed by a familiar voice. "Raquel, I know you're in there. I'm just warning you that everyone is downstairs already!" Ágata said lowly through the door. After that they heard her pad through the hallway and down the stairs. They looked at each other in shock and burst out laughing.

"Why do we keep finding ourselves in situations like this?" Sergio chuckled.

"Don't look at me! This is all your fault!" Raquel said as she got up and fixed her appearance. 

"Says the woman who gave me a blowjob in her childhood bedroom."

"At least we weren't caught! Now I have to bribe Ágata again to keep her mouth shut." She feigned annoyance. 

"Well, technically we weren't caught..." Sergio reasoned.

Raquel just looked at him expectantly with a raised eyebrow. "Fine, fine. Let's go have a happy Christmas morning with your family. Let me just wash my hands first." That comment got him a pinch to his side.

They finally made it downstairs to find the rest of the Murillo clan circled around the Christmas tree, waiting for them. They sat down next to Ágata as Sofia started to distribute the gifts.

"Good morning hija. Sergio." Avelino greeted them. 

"Good morning, Papá. Sorry we're late, I just passed by my room to give Sergio his gift first."

"I'm sure you did," Ágata said under her breath.

Raquel smiled sweetly at her father and secretly gave Ágata a pinch on her arm.

"Ow!" Ágata shrieked in surprise. 

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I sit on your hand?" Raquel asked her sister, with murder in her eyes and feigning concern.

"No, it's fine." Ágata muttered.

"Good. Now let's get on with the presents. I'm excited for you to see what I got for you." Raquel said.

She felt Sergio take one of her hands in his and kissed the back of it softly. "To more eventful holidays with you, mi amor." He whispered lovingly to her.


	10. Lost In Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sergio and Raquel arrived at his childhood home in San Sebastian. Will their New Year's Eve be explosive?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thursday, everyone! I know! It feels like ages since I updated last and I truly am sorry for such a delay, please forgive me. I'm just having such a hard time writing lately.  
> Hopefully, you will like this chapter! I have something planned for the next one tho *wink wink*  
> Also, don't forget to follow me on twitter: @gilliansitziar *kisses for all of you lovely people*

**New Year's Eve**

That radiant smile. A smile that can rival a hundred suns. And a laugh that can bring him joy like nothing else could in the world.

Sergio watched as Raquel animatedly talked with his mother in the kitchen. He and Raquel stayed with her family for a few days after Christmas and then they set off to San Sebastian come New Year's Eve. When they arrived, his mother hugged them both and whisked Raquel away to the kitchen when she offered to help with lunch preparations. He wasn't at all surprised that his mother had instantly taken a liking to Raquel, she _is_ pretty amazing. And now there she stood in his family's kitchen, helping his mother put the finishing touches to their lunch.

"Hermanito!" Andrés exclaimed to get his attention.

"Oh, sorry. You were saying?"

"I was suggesting that you and your honey, who you can't seem to take your eyes off of apparently, should come with me to Martin's New Year's Eve party after our family dinner," Andrés smirked.

Sergio was sat in the living room with his brother and father, Salvador Marquina. "Come now, Andrés. Stop teasing your brother. Raquel seems to be a wonderful young woman."

Unable to keep his delight to his father's approval, Sergio smiled and said, "Thank you, Papá. She really is. She has turned my world upside down in the most amazing way."

Salvador nodded. "I'm glad, hijo. You deserve to find a love like that."

"As for your invitation, Andrés, I'll have to check with Raquel but I think she'll like the idea."

Just then, Raquel walked into the living room. "What will Raquel like?"

"Andrés asked us to come with him to one of our friend's house for a New Year's Eve party," Sergio replied.

"Oh! That sounds like a fantastic idea! I think I have a dress packed for such an occasion."

"It's a plan, then." He beamed at her.

Raquel stretched out her hand in invitation. "Now, come on. Your mom asked me to call the men of the house to the kitchen. Lunch is ready."

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Raquel was delighted to find out from his mother, Elena, that Sergio was quite the mischievous, albeit shy, child. She learned how he was also often in the hospital in his formative years but thankfully now, he was a perfectly healthy young man.

"Sergio was the sweetest, mild-mannered child in our neighborhood. Although rather shy, he always had this glint in his eyes, like he knew so many things beyond his years. He'd endlessly listen to his father talk about his work. So much to our delight, he would graduate on the top of his class." Elena shared with her.

Raquel beamed at Elena, knowing full well how amazing his mind works. "You must be really proud. I, for one, am utterly amazed by Sergio's intelligence. How his mind works. It's refreshing to meet a man who not only respects women but their minds as well. I'm sure he learned all that from you and his father."

Elena smiled proudly as she nodded. "Yes, I strongly believed that he'd become this intelligent man and I wanted to raise him knowing how to respect women. Some men are rather simply arrogant with their minds and needs, as I'm sure you'd know. Since he hasn't brought any girl home before you, I'm hoping he's been treating you well?"

Raquel blushed at the thoughts of how well her son has treated her amazingly in many different ways. "Of course, ma'am. He's the perfect gentleman. The best man I've ever met since my father."

"I'm glad. And please call me Elena. Or if you prefer Mamá, I wouldn't oppose to that either." She winked at her. "Now, can you please go and get them in the living room. The food's all ready."

Raquel simply nodded at her with a slightly shocked expression and headed for the three men sitting together in the living room.

**Later that Night**

His parents were mellow compared to what she made him face with her own this Christmas. Raquel also discovered from his mother that Andrés was his half-brother from her previous marriage wherein her husband died before Andrés was born. She then met Sergio's father not too long after that. And a year later, they were married and was expecting Sergio.

Now, she was helping the brothers with the cleanup after dinner. Once they were nearly done, Andrés excused himself to find something to wear for the party later. With only them in the kitchen, Raquel approached Sergio near the sink. She leaned her hip on the side of the counter, slowly sipping the remaining wine in her glass.

"Your parents are such lovely people, Sergio."

"And they love you." He replied as he settled the last plate on the rack to dry and stepped toward her. He rested his hands on her hips.

"Oh yeah?" Raquel asked with a smirk.

"Not as much as I do..." he teased, giving her hips a gentle squeeze.

She laughed then. "God! Wouldn't that be something?"

Sergio only laughingly shook his head in exasperation.

"So," Raquel said, "are you excited for the party later?"

She noticed his hesitation but waited for his reply. "Well, you know I'm not the most sociable person and I'm not particularly fond of going to parties. I never came with Andrés to such things even when we were in high school."

"Sergio, we don't have to go if you don't want to, you know that, right? I'm sure Andrés would understand-"

Sergio interrupted her. "No, no. I promised Andrés we'd go. Not to mention how excited you are, too. I want to go. I want to dance, although awkwardly on my part, with you. I want to kiss you when the clock strikes twelve. I want to end and start a year with you. I want to experience all of that with you."

Raquel stared at him with shining eyes as she listened. She couldn't believe how this beautiful man with an even more beautiful heart, can be so insecure. Bringing her hands to the sides of his face, she gently cradled his jaw and caressed her thumbs in his beard. She looked deeply into his eyes as she spoke.

"I'd like nothing more than do all of that with you, cariño."

She then pulled him in for what should have been a chaste kiss but grew into a small make-out session as Sergio practically inhaled her and molded her into his body.

She loved how she can ignite such a passion from a self-professed contained man like Sergio. She knew herself as one to become passionate as well but this connection with him was something she hasn't felt before. This raw, unbridled love and passion she felt whenever they touch.

His presence in her life has been the greatest influence in her newfound happiness; she's forgotten all about her toxic relationship with Alberto, her grades were higher than ever, she and Alicia have never been closer. And Sergio. As far as she's concerned, meeting and falling in love with Sergio was definitely the highlight of her year.

**Martin's House**

**11:50pm**

The three of them took a taxi to go to Martin's house which was already packed with people. The brothers introduced Raquel to the host of the party who was happily surprised with Sergio's attendance and apparently hers as well. Martin welcomed them into his home which was left to him after his parents passed away from a car accident when he was still in high school. He was Andrés' best friend and eventually became good friends with Sergio as well. He escorted them to the kitchen where a mini bar was situated. Suddenly, he spotted someone and grabbed Andrés' arm and dragged him out of the kitchen saying he wanted to introduce him to a friend of his.

Raquel and Sergio were left in the kitchen waiting for their wines. She noticed Sergio's hands slightly fidgeting on the bar top. She slid her hand in his as a gesture of comfort. He instantly looked at her with a grateful expression. She felt the tension leave his body as she continued to hold his hand and rub soft circles on his skin with her thumb.

The party was definitely in full swing. The music blasting from the speakers. A few people were even on the makeshift dance floor in the spacious living room.

The couple mingled with some of Sergio's acquaintances from high school who were quite surprised with his presence at an actual party. He merely gave them a nervous laugh in response. Raquel would give his hand a squeeze and take the conversation from there on out. They never lost any body contact, even if they were getting their glasses refilled for what felt like the hundredth time.

At this point in the party, many were already pretty buzzed. Sergio was mindful of his alcohol intake, though. He didn’t want to get completely inebriated, especially now that Raquel was swaying a bit with all the wine in her system. She was particularly more handsy now, gripping his forearms, his biceps, and finally, she's wrapped her arms around his waist as they swayed together to the music. Leaning into him, she whispered huskily. "It's nearly midnight. You know what that means?"

"Hmm, I can't seem to think what would happen when the clock strikes twelve. Why don't you enlighten me, Inspectora? Will you dash off into the night like Cinderella?" He teased.

She giggled. "Oh, so that makes you my Prince Charming then?"

"Well, if the shoe fits.." He smiled cheekily at her.

Raquel burst into laughter. "Qué maravilla! I feel so honored to have found my prince! My one true love!"

Sergio laughed with her. God, how he loved her laugh. He couldn't resist kissing the corner of her lips. He could faintly hear the people counting down. _10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4..._

Raquel protested, clearly needing more. "Oh, c'mon! That wasn't a real kiss! It's-"

He finally silenced her with a kiss on the lips. The kiss was sweet and languid. The fireworks outside can't compare to their sparks. Raquel slipped in a bit of tongue and he smiled into their kiss. He broke away and looked into her eyes. He could see the arousal in her expression and there was a particular glint in her eyes that he was all too familiar with.

"Come on, I have an idea." Raquel dragged him through the house and up the stairs. She then opened a door to a dimly lit bedroom. She pushed him onto the bed and his butt landed on the edge. He sat there looking at her with a dumbfounded expression.

"Raquel, what are you doing? We can't do this here. Martin will be-" he stammered.

"Don't worry. Martin told me we were welcome to use this room if we ever decide to stay for the night. Now relax." She said as she stood in between his legs, leaned her head to meet his lips for a kiss.

She could feel Sergio's hands running up and down her thighs as they continued their fevered kiss when finally, it drifted up the skirt of her dress. One of his fingers was softly rubbing her core through her lace panties. She groaned loudly into their kiss as she felt moisture pool in her center because of his fingers.

"Just take it off." She growled.

"Mmm, your wish is my command, mi diosa." He said as he hastily ripped the scrap of lace down her legs. He continued to insert one slender finger into her. He watched as she broke their lip lock to throw her head back in pleasure. He made quick work with his fingers, thrusting into her and rubbing her clit with his other hand. Raquel's mewls of pleasure and her leg rubbing on his crotch as her body jerked with her oncoming orgasm were enough to make him hard. He felt her legs shake as her orgasm coursed through her body.

She was trying to catch her breath. Sergio scooted a bit to the center of the bed as she started to straddle him, afraid her legs would buckle after her orgasm. She sat on his thighs while her hands were roaming his chest and abdomen, slowly unbuttoning his shirt. Then eventually her fingers were lightly teasing his cock through the material of his pants.

Sergio let out a hiss as she unbuckled his belt and unzipped his fly. The mere action sending shots of electricity in his system. Once Raquel let his hard, throbbing member out of its confines, she smiled appreciatively.

"So much for the reluctant guy I was with just a couple of minutes ago." She whispered huskily.

He smirked and wrapped his arms around her as she rose to her knees that were on either side of his hips. He kissed her more fevered than before. His hand firm but gentle on the back of her head, his fingers lost in the soft tresses.

Raquel reached back to hold his shaft in a firm grasp as she lowered herself onto his length. Inch by inch. Both of them holding their breaths until she was buried to the hilt. Their groans of ecstasy were bouncing off the walls of the room as Raquel started to move on top of him. She started with a slow tempo, relishing in the simmering pleasure they were both experiencing. As the tension increased, Raquel rode him hard with wanton ferocity. The grinding of their pelvises at the right angle was just enough for her clit to have stimulation that the pleasure coursing through her entire body was nearly unbearable. Grabbing Sergio by the back of his head, she delved her fingers in his hair and gave him a fiery kiss as they raised to the peaks of their orgasms.

_Boom!_

She didn't even know if what she heard was the fireworks outside or that it was their mutual mind-blowing orgasms. Their hot breaths mingling in between their faces. The scent of sex and wine wafting around the room.

"Happy New Year, indeed," Sergio said in a low breath with a smile.

"That was some fireworks display, huh?" Raquel chuckled in response.

With the smile never leaving her lips, she leaned in for a kiss.

"Happy New Year, mi amor." She whispered into his lips.

Cradling her face softly in his hands, he looked at her adoringly and said, "Having you in my life, falling in love with you, for the better part of the year has been amazingly beautiful. You taught me how to be happy, and how to love. I didn't know that I was lost at sea before you but, you’ve been a constant beacon of joy in my life. I hope this will only just be the beginning of _us._ I love you, Raquel."

For the second time that night, this man once again made her heart burst with love. Eyes shining with tears and adoration she said, "You have such a way with words, cariño. I'd tell you how amazing this past year has been for me, too, but my head is swimming in wine right now so.."

She couldn't help the giggle she let out at her drunken state. Soon enough, Sergio joined her fits of laughter. After a few moments, her laughter simmered down as she looked at him with soft eyes.

"I love you, too, Sergio. You've been the greatest surprise I could ever hope for after the year I had before I met you. Know that you've taken a huge piece of my heart. I just hope to God you don't run away with it like others had."

"I won't, mi amor. This," Sergio gestured between them, "is forever."


	11. Pieces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A steamy Valentine's Day. A joyful birthday full of laughter and surprises. What could ever go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Sunday, lovelies!  
> I feel like I'm always apologizing for taking so long for an update but alas, I am once again asking for forgiveness for the tardiness. As you may have noticed, I finally decided on how many chapters I'll be doing for this fanfic. I'm trying to finish this one before I officially start my review for my board exam so...  
> I hope y'all will like this chapter. Let me know your thoughts down in the comments or just @ me on twitter @gilliansitziar ❤️️
> 
> I would also like to thank @lonelychicagos for proofreading this chapter. love u kat 😘

_You and me_   
_Got ourselves a problem_   
_I can see this_   
_Better than I solve 'em_   
_I believed_   
_I found a way around it_   
_I will leave this better than I found it_

_There's too much smoke to see it_   
_There's too much broke to feel this_   
_Well, I love you, I love you_   
_And all of your pieces_   
_There's too much smoke to see it_   
_There's too much broke to feel this_   
_Well, I love you, I love you_   
_And all of your pieces_

~ Pieces by Andrew Belle

**February 14**

**10:13 P.M.**

  
  


A caress here. A gentle touch there. A unified moan echoing in the room. 

Sergio was laid in bed with Raquel sitting upright on top of him. She was slowly lifting her hips up and down his hard shaft. Her hands were traveling the expanse of his upper body, lightly scratching her nails on his hypersensitive skin. She ran her hands on his toned arms that led to his cupping her heavy breasts and tweaking her nipples. She let out a groan as he gave them a squeeze.

He absolutely loved this position. It may even be said that it was his favorite. He was staring up at her as she rode him harder with each passing minute. She really made an ethereal image; her soft gold-streaked hair cascading down her back, her enticing breasts bobbing from her motions, the pure ecstasy on her face. He could watch her like this forever, all flushed with a sheen of sweat, and glowing with lust. Sergio moved his hands from her breasts to cup her ass and ground their pelvises for even more friction. 

Raquel threw her head back as she felt a huge wave of arousal course through her body with the additional sensations of feeling Sergio imprinting his hands on her ass. 

“ _Joder…_ Sergio, please...” 

She planned for this to be a slow lovemaking but she guessed the nonstop foreplay they did all night eventually led to all this pent-up tension that when they entered his apartment, it didn’t take long for him to kiss her. Sergio bent his knees and pulled her up to his body and she automatically circled her legs around his waist as he carried her across his apartment towards his bed. With her dress already bunched at her waist, she felt his hands slide from the back of her thighs to her ass. She has confirmed this from multiple occasions since they finally had sex, _Sergio was undeniably an ass man_. She always noticed that he paid special attention to that part of her body, among others in her nether region. Although she was confident in her own skin, she was always quite conscious with her butt; thinking it was too fat or whatnot. But Sergio’s unabashed appreciation of her ass definitely gave her a confidence boost.

She heard Sergio growl low in his throat as she wantonly rode him. Raquel planted her hands on either side of his head, bracing herself as she moved erratically on top of him some more. Her hair was falling around her face, the soft tips teasing Sergio’s neck. Tossing her hair to one side, she leaned down to kiss him fiercely on the lips. She can feel Sergio’s right hand cup the base of her skull as they kissed deeply, while his left hand kept the pressure on her ass. 

“Sergio, I’m gonna...” She moaned.

His only reply was a grunt so feral she thought it was made by an animal.

The sensation overwhelmed her as the orgasm building in her core finally consumed her like fireworks. Not a few moments later, Sergio’s entire body stiffened under her and she felt his essence fill her to the brim.

Raquel carefully laid on top of him as they came down from their lustful high.

“Hmm, best Valentine’s Day, so far.” She said, smirking at him.

“To be honest, I was quite nervous about this particular holiday.” Sergio said.

“Por qué? You’ve already endured a whole Christmas holiday with my family. Why would you be nervous of us celebrating Valentine’s Day together?”

“I just... I just wanted it to be special for you. I want to give you more than what your previous significant others did for you.” He explained nervously.

She felt her heart grow softer with his confession. 

“Oh, Sergio. Didn’t you know that you’ve already done so much more in the months we’ve been together than any of them ever did for me in a year? I never thought I needed or was capable of such a deep connection with someone to be happy in a relationship before I met you. Trust me. You have nothing to worry about. Besides, you know I love the simple things. And I love _you_.”

He smiled gratefully at her. With a gentle hand at the back of her head, he guided her to his lips for a kiss after whispering, “I love you too, _mi amor_.”

Raquel nuzzled his neck with her nose, inhaling his clean, earthy scent mixed with the intoxicating aroma of sex in the air. She trailed wet kisses up his ear and down to his clavicles when she whispered into his skin, “Sergio, when you close your eyes... What do you imagine for your future?” 

Closing his eyes and letting out a contented sigh, he replied. “I can see us still happily together. We’d be coming home to a quaint apartment like this one after work. Make love on every possible surface.” He opened his eyes and was drawing lazy circles on her back with soft fingers as he continued his narration. “We’d see the world together. Travel to different parts of the world. I see everything happening so beautifully because you’re always there. With me.”

Raquel looked adoringly at him as he spoke. “I couldn’t imagine a more amazing life with you, _cariño_.”

**February 23**

**7:38P.M.**

**La Terrazza Restaurant**

_“Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, Happy birthday. Happy Birthday, dear Sergio!”_

Raquel, Alicia and Andres, were all sitting around a table and singing to a rather bashful birthday boy. Sergio was a bit mortified of all the attention they gathered from the other patrons in the restaurant as they sang to him. That slowly dissipated when he looked at the love of his life beaming up at him, holding a chocolate cake with one burning candle in the middle. He gingerly leaned in, closed his eyes and blew out the flame as he thought of a wish. Opening his eyes again, he saw the one thing he could possibly want in this world. Raquel, smiling at him with such love in her eyes.

They were sitting next to each other. She then reached over and took his head in her hands and gave him a kiss. “Happy Birthday, _cariño_.”

“Thank you, Raquel. You didn’t have to plan all of this.” He smiled shyly at her.

“Oh, come now, it wouldn’t be girlfriend behavior if I didn’t do something special for my man on his special day!” she teased.

Sergio was about to reply when Andres spoke up. “Ah, _hermanito_ , stop your complaining and relish the fact that you have the perfect woman in your life making you feel special.”

“Believe me, Andres. I do it every day.” He said as he smiled at Raquel.

Alicia raised her glass of red wine and said, “Cheers! Happy birthday again, Sergio! Let’s hope Raquel has a huge surprise for you than just this dinner!”

“Alicia!” Raquel exclaimed at her friend, looking pointedly at her before raising her own glass. 

“Thank you, Alicia,” Sergio replied, “but she’s already the greatest gift I could ever hope for in this life.”

Raquel looked softly at him, a hint of tears glistening her eyes as she mouthed to him an _“I love you.”_

“Cheers to that!” Alicia said as they all clinked their glasses together. She peered at her friend who surreptitiously pretended to take a sip of her wine before placing it back on the table. She raised an eyebrow when Raquel noticed she was eyeing her. Raquel merely smirked at her and slightly raised her hand off the wine glass. 

  
  


Exiting the restaurant, they split up in pairs as they made their way home. Andres promising, he would accompany Alicia back to her apartment safely. Meanwhile, Raquel and Sergio hailed a taxi to take them back to his place.

“I’m quite surprised Andres and Alicia got along so well.” Raquel mused as they sat together in the back of the taxi.

“A little too well…” Sergio murmured.

Raquel chuckled at his response. “Come on, Sergio, have a little faith in your brother. Maybe he just needs an Alicia in his life to ground him.”

“Let’s hope that that will be it. I always worry about him and his constant need to find the perfect woman for him in which he discards them once he gets bored.” 

“Well, they are adults. All we can do is hope it all doesn’t go to shit because I love them both.”

Inside Sergio’s apartment, Raquel proceeded to shed her clothing and went to his cabinet where he had allocated a spot for her belongings. Only clad in her underwear, she watched in the mirror in front of her, Sergio approaching her from behind. He encircled his arms around her waist and kissed her on the shoulder before resting his chin on it. Their eyes met in the mirror. She knew Sergio saw the nervous excitement dancing in her eyes.

“Sergio…” she said tentatively.

_“Qué pasa, mi amor?_ ” He asked.

Raquel covered his hands with hers and rested them on her belly as they continued to hold each other’s gaze through the mirror. “I’m pregnant.”

A range of emotions flickered on Sergio’s face as he processed her revelation. It finally settled on amazement and wonder. A beautiful smile slowly formed on his features. Turning her in his arms, he whispered elatedly, _“Enserio?”_

Without losing the smile on her face, she nodded. _“Si, cariño.”_

He hugged her, slightly lifting her off her feet and basically molded their bodies together. Carefully placing her back on her feet, he asked, “Wh-when do you think-?”

“Umm… I’m guessing New Year’s?” she giggled. “I didn’t notice that I skipped my cycle last month. But last week I checked my calendar, there weren’t any marks and I took note of that religiously. So, I took a home pregnancy test and… here we are.”

“The fucking fireworks.” Sergio chuckled.

“The fucking fireworks, indeed.” She laughed heartily again.

“Just when I thought I have all I ever wished for today: having you in my life. But you just gave me two of the best birthday presents all wrapped into one.”

Still smiling, she shook her head at his words. She stood on tiptoe and kissed him sweetly. She felt him move, and next thing she knew he was carrying her to the bed where they made slow, sweet love and cuddled until they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

**April 26**

**_15 weeks_ **

**9:13PM**

  
  


She was dog-tired. Quite literally dragging her feet at this point. Living through the end of a spring semester, trying to maintain her high grades while being pregnant was definitely a harrowing experience. Thank God it was all done now. And thank God for Sergio, too. Although a bit overprotective than usual, he was still so supportive with everything. She didn’t think she could survive finals week without him.

Raquel massaged her scalp as she rinsed out the products from her hair, letting the warm water sluice through her aching body. Turning off the shower, she leaned out of the curtain and blindly searched the towel with her hand. Having found it, she tapped it to her face as she was coming out. She took a step and…

_Thud._

She slipped and fell over the toilet seat. Banging her abdomen on the side of it. She was now hunched over on the floor, rubbing her stomach to soothe the shooting pains she was feeling. Taking several deep breaths, she felt the pain abate, so she gingerly stood up to her feet to finish drying off and get dressed. 

Coming out of the bathroom, Raquel spotted Sergio already in his bed waiting for her. 

“I heard a thud in the bathroom. Everything alright, Raquel?” he asked with concern in his voice.

“ _Si, si_ . Everything’s fine, _cariño._ I just dropped my bottle of lotion.” She lied. If she told him the truth he would’ve overreacted. And she was too tired to think about it.

“Okay. You’re exhausted. Come on, let’s sleep.” Sergio said, throwing back the covers for her to slide into. 

She slipped into the cool sheets and his warm embrace. Raquel sighed contentedly and fell into the abyss of slumber.

**3:18A.M.**

Sergio woke with a strange feeling of dread. _Must have been a bad dream,_ he thought. He sleepily reached for Raquel beside him to spoon her when he felt something wet. Alarmed, he took off the blanket enveloping their bodies and turned on his bedside lamp.

Blood. _So much blood_. And Raquel. She was so pale and lifeless.

Panicking, he touched her cheek with one hand and her neck with the other to feel for a pulse. It was there, but it was thready. Feeling his own blood growing cold, he dashed for the phone in his living room and called 911.

**6:29 AM**

The past three hours were a blur. He could remember being a nervous wreck when the paramedics came into his room. He was covered in blood. Raquel’s blood. Their baby’s blood. He tried his hardest to wake her up but all he got was the fluttering of her eyes and pale features. When help finally arrived, they found him cradling Raquel’s body in his arms.

He gratefully took the scrubs a nurse offered him to change into when they noticed his situation. Now, he sat on one of the uncomfortable chairs in front of the nurse’s station where he anxiously waited for any news about Raquel. 

He spotted the female doctor, who attended to Raquel when they got to the hospital, approaching him so he immediately stood up.

“Sergio Marquina?” She asked.

“Yes. How is Raquel?” He said anxiously.

“She’s lost a lot of blood but she’s going to be fine.”

“And the b-baby?” His voice cracked.

“I’m sorry but…”

He couldn’t remember what said after that. He felt the white pristine walls of the hospital corridor closing in on him. _No. No. No. No. No. No. This can’t be. They-_

“Señor Marquina?” the doctor asked again to gain his attention.

He looked up to her again. He asked, “Was it a boy or a girl? We were supposed to know in our next check up…”

“It was a girl.”  
  


Sergio hung his head in despair. 

“Miss Murillo had a bit of bruising on her abdomen which I think caused the miscarriage. Do you have any idea how that came about?” she asked with concern.

“No, no. she was fine when we went to bed. She-,“ Sergio stuttered when he looked back to their conversation before going to sleep. “I heard a loud thud when she was in the bathroom. She said it was just her lotion slipping from her hand. Could she have-?”

The doctor sighed. “I’m guessing that would be it.”

With tears threatening to slip from his eyes he asked, “Can I see her?”

“Of course. I’ll take you to her room.”

Sergio entered her room to find her lain in the white sheets of the hospital bed looking out the window of the room. She turned her head when she heard the door snick closed and saw him standing there. She smiled sadly at him, her chin quivering and tears filling her eyes. 

“Sergio, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” her voice cracked as the tears flowed down her face.

He rushed to her side, clasping her hands in his. “Shh. Raquel, you don’t have to apologize. There’s nothing to apologize for. You’re okay. Everything’s okay.”

“No, it’s not!” she cried. “It’s all my fault. I fell in the bathroom and I killed our-“

Climbing into her bed, he laid sideways and embraced her tightly in his arms, letting her tears stain the material of the scrubs on his shoulder. “Shh, Raquel. You did no such thing. Accidents happen.”

“But-” she croaked.

“No. It was no one’s fault. I love you and we will get through this. I promise.” He said as he let his own tears fall down his cheeks and onto her hair. He held her until her cries subsided and her breathing evened out. He’ll hold her forever if he could but he felt something crack in both their hearts and he doesn’t know if they can really ever repair it.


	12. Make You Feel My Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is their love strong enough to heal the deep, gaping wounds that fate gave them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Wednesday, lovely people!  
> First off, I'd like to give a huge thanks to my dear friend nicole (@abnegation here on AO3) for proofreading this chapter! Te quiero mucho, jic❤️️  
> I hope this chapter finds you well. To be honest, I always thought I could never write any story/fanfiction, let alone a smutty and angsty one. So, thank you all so much for your support. And I'm a bit sorry for making yall sad with my last update. I can't promise anything for this one, but I hope y'all will like it, nonetheless☺️
> 
> As always, comments and kudos will feed my sad soul haha 💕  
> Also, feel free to @ or message me on twitter: @gilliansitziar😘

_She groaned loudly; the pleasure was just too good to contain. Sergio really had magical hands. God, what those hands can do to her._

_"Joder... Yes, Sergio, right there.." Raquel let out another groan._

_"You like that?" Sergio whispered to her ear._

_"Ohh, yes! That feels so good!"_

_Just when she thought he was already the perfect boyfriend, he goes and offers to give her a massage. He must've noticed how fatigued she was lately, with being a pregnant college student and all. God bless him. Sergio was sitting behind her on his couch, while she sat in between his legs. Her eyes still closed, Raquel felt his hands shift on her shoulder blades as he continued his massage. His hands were now sliding down her arms and onto her thighs where he hiked the skirt of her dress up to her waist._

_"Uh, Raquel..." Sergio said with alarm in his voice._

_Concerned with the tone of his voice, Raquel opened her eyes._

_"Qué pasa, cariño?"_

_She craned her neck to look at him and saw that he was staring down where his hands were. She followed his gaze to find blood. So much blood. Pooling in between her legs. She started breathing hard as tears fell from her eyes. She could feel a scream coming out of her throat when-_

Raquel woke up with a scream. She was lying on her bed, a sheen of cold sweat covering her face that was mixing with her hot tears. She blindly searched for Sergio beside her but her hands only found cold sheets. Sergio suddenly bursts into the room, the door nearly slamming into the wall, with panic etched on his face. Raquel turned towards him and she scrambled out of bed to run into his arms. 

Sergio could feel the desperation and panic seeping out from her body. He securely enveloped her in his arms as she cried. Her body trembling from her sobs. All he could do was to absorb all of it. He honestly wished he could take all the grief and guilt she was holding onto. She doesn’t deserve to have all this weight on her shoulders alone. But she insists on not talking about the… accident. She’s been cold and silent, speaking only when spoken to and could utter only two or three words, since he took her back to her and Alicia’s apartment from the hospital. Her parents even came to visit for a day but Raquel avoided their conversations and their insistence on her coming home with them, claiming she still had things to finish for the semester. They just left when he heard her scream from inside her room.

“Oh, Sergio, where were you?” Raquel asked, while her body was still racked by her sobs.

“Shh… I was saying goodbye to your parents. They didn’t want to wake you so they left,” he assured her. “What happened?”

“A n-nightmare,” she whispered.

Tightening his embrace and closing his eyes, he asked, “Do you want to talk about it?”

“No,” Raquel simply answered.

Sergio took it in stride. He’s giving her the space she needed. 

“Vamos, let’s get you back to bed. Would you like some dinner? I could make soup? Maybe some bread?” he asked her softly as he led her back to her bed.

“Yes, please.”

“Bien. I’ll be back in a few minutes, cariño.” He said as he laid a kiss on her forehead. He saw her eyes close, but not before seeing the unfiltered pain swimming in them.

Closing the door to Raquel’s room, he saw Alicia pacing in the kitchen.

“How is she? What happened?” she asked anxiously.

“She’s okay. She had a nightmare.”

“Did she say what about? Her scream-”

“No,” he sighed. “I asked but she didn’t want to talk about it.”

Alicia looked down and sighed as well. “Sergio, it’s been four days since…”

“I know, Alicia,” his breath hitching. “ I just don’t know what to do. It’s like she’s pulling away from me. She doesn’t seem to be placing any of the guilt on me but I feel it, too, you know. I do. I feel guilty for not taking care of her. I should’ve noticed the signs. She was rubbing her belly with a strange expression on her face when she came out of my bathroom that night. But I didn’t push for more explanation.”

“Neither of you were at fault, Sergio. You have to know that. You can’t help her if you’re drowning in guilt, too,” said Alicia.

Tears were burning down his cheeks. “I feel so helpless. Since waiting in the hallways of the hospital… I just wish things happened differently. We were so happy. We were excited to be parents. I was going to-” 

He stopped himself. His plans for her birthday will have to be put on hold now. He sighed sadly and went to the stove to make Raquel’s dinner.

“You were going to what?” Alicia queried.

“Nothing,” he said, avoiding eye contact by focusing on his cooking.

Alicia looked suspicious but she let it go. “I’ll go see if Raquel is up to chatting.”

He merely nodded at her, for he was too engrossed in his thoughts.

~~~~~~~~~~

Sergio knocked lightly on Raquel’s door while carrying her dinner on a tray.

“Come in,” he heard her say softly.

He entered the room and found Raquel looking a bit more relaxed than before. She was sitting with her back against the headboard while Alicia was at the foot of her bed. He gently laid the tray on her lap, careful not to spill her soup.

“Thank you, Sergio,” she said with a small smile.

 _She smiled._ He thought. _It was small, a little sad, but it was a smile, nonetheless._

“I’ll go ahead and sleep now.” Alicia stood up and went to kiss Raquel on the cheek. “Good night, chica. Sergio.”

“Good night, Alicia,.” Raquel and Sergio regarded as she departed.

Alone in the room, Sergio let Raquel eat her dinner in silence. He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable by staring at her while she ate so he excused himself to go and get ready for bed. Raquel silently nodded at him. He didn’t hear the deep sigh she let out when he left the room.

Coming back into the room, he noticed she was finished eating and was reading a book. Raquel thanked him again for the dinner as he took the dishes from the floor at the side of her bed.

“It was nothing, mi amor. I’m glad you had the appetite for it.” He wanted to bite his tongue. He looked at her but her face was blank again as she continued reading. 

Sergio slid into the sheets of her soft bed. Raquel had put away her book and was already lying on her side. He scooted closer and spooned her, burying his nose in her hair and silently inhaled her sweet scent. He could feel her thinking, the sadness coming out of her pores. He heard her take a deep sigh and shifted her body to lay on her back to look at him. There was something in her eyes that he can't quite name. She then lifted her hand to the back of his neck to play with the hairs on his nape. Gently, she pushed his face nearer to hers until their foreheads, then their noses, touched. They silently lay there for a few moments, just breathing in each other. Their unspoken words were too painful to be said out loud.

Pulling their faces apart a few inches, Raquel looked into his eyes. He saw desire burning in them, with a hint of melancholia. Suddenly, she reached up and kissed him fervently on the lips. Surprised, Sergio didn't immediately react but he began to kiss her back with the same enthusiasm she was giving. Raquel's hands were caressing his upper body and she began to unbutton his pajama shirt. He was so caught up with the burst of passion, that he was surprised to feel one of her hands cupping his groin. He started to panic. Deep down in his gut, he felt like this was wrong. He loved her but, this isn't where they are right now. They should be talking, airing out all the baggage that they've been carrying for the past few days. 

Bringing a hand on her shoulder, he eases her away from him. He heaved a deep sigh as he closed his eyes.

"Raquel, querida, we can't..." he whispered.

"Why? What's wrong, Sergio?" she asked with such uncertainty in her eyes.

"What's wrong? Raquel, you know, what's wrong. Sex won't solve anything unless we talk about it." He reasoned with her.

Raquel's brows furrowed and she frowned. She pushed away from him. She stood up from the bed and distanced herself from it like it was on fire.

"Talk about what, Sergio?!" she cried. "Talk about how stupid I was for letting it all happen to me? To us? To our ba-"

Sergio watched as she stopped herself from saying any more as she angrily wiped away the tears from her cheeks. 

"Raquel, there was no one to blame. _You're_ not to blame for what happened," he said carefully.

She laughed sarcastically and huffed. "Dios! Of course, I'm to blame, Sergio! I was the dumb college girl who let herself get knocked up! And even then, I even failed the unborn child growing inside of me by slipping in the goddamn bathroom and didn't ask for help!"

Sergio was silent. Tears were stinging his eyes as he stood up from the bed to face her. Then he spoke with a crack in his voice, "Is that how you saw what we had? That you just got knocked up by some stupid boy you met at some bar?" 

Raquel looked at him with eyes filled with frustration. She finally whispered, "No."

"Then what is this really about then, Raquel?!" His voice raising a little. "Are you giving up on this? Is this the end for us?"

"Maybe this is a sign..."

"A sign for what? To just throw away everything we had? _I love you, Raquel_. Isn't that enough of a sign for you?" He cried out with desperation.

"I don't know, Sergio! Not everything can be healed by love! Love can't bring our baby back to us!" she sobbed as she crumpled to the floor, no longer able to stand on her feet.

Sergio rushed to her, ready to wrap her in his arms, but she scrambled away from him, batting away his arms.

"It's over, Sergio. Just get out. Get out!" she screamed.

With his heart breaking into a million jagged pieces, he backed away from her. He left her room and closed the door firmly behind him. His head hanging in despair, he walked to the couch and sat there for what felt like hours as his body quivered with violent sobs. He felt the fatigue seep in his bones. He laid back on the cushions with a ragged breath and the next thing he knew he was floating in dreamland.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Sergio?!"

His eyes snapped open when he heard her voice fill the apartment, anxiously calling out his name. He lifted himself off the couch to look in the direction of her bedroom door. And there she was. Terrified. Searching for him. Her eyes finally caught sight of him. Her eyes. They were red and puffy from crying all night. She ran to him, just like she did earlier.

"Oh, my God, Sergio. I thought you had really left. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean any of it. I was hurting and I lashed out. I know it was unfair to you." She held onto him like he was going to disappear at any moment.

Sergio was silent but gladly returned her embrace. She hugged him tighter, pushing her face into his chest. 

"I love you. I'll always love you. You were never just the boy I met at the bar." She moved her face off his chest and lifted her face to his, looking into his sad but hopeful brown eyes. "You're the man I fell in love with. You're the man I was expecting a baby with..." 

Raquel took his hands in hers and lifted them to their chests. "The cards we were dealt with may be hard to face right now but, _I know_ , we can get through this together. I need you to believe me when I say I'm not giving up on us. I just let the guilt consume me. And the thought of you leaving for good, finally made me realize that we can be stronger together."

With shining eyes filled with all the love he felt for her, Sergio finally spoke. "Te quiero mucho, Raquel. I could never leave you even if you push me away like that. It hurt like hell, but I knew you were bleeding from the inside out."

"Thank you for understanding, cariño. I love you, too. So much it hurts. But it's a pain I'll gladly live through because you've always made me feel like the happiest woman on earth." she sobbed.

"Always, Raquel. I'll devote my whole life to always making you happy," Sergio consoled, gently, before leaning down and kissing her tenderly on the lips. 

_When the rain is blowing in your face_  
_And the whole world is on your case_  
_I could offer you a warm embrace_  
_To make you feel my love_  
_When the evening shadows and the stars appear_  
_And there is no one there to dry your tears_  
_I could hold you for a million years_  
_To make you feel my love_

_I know you haven't made your mind up yet_  
_But I would never do you wrong_  
_I've known it from the moment that we met_  
_No doubt in my mind where you belong_


	13. Can’t Help Falling In Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fond memories led them to the sea. But will the euphoria last when other thoughts still haunt them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year, lovely people☺️  
> I hope the holidays gave all of us a bit of positive energy to start the new year right!  
> This chapter took me days to finish. I had a difficult time with my outline. But I promise I’ll do better next chapter 🙈
> 
> I would like to thank again my friend, Nicole, for proofreading this chapter🥰 love you bby❤️

Raquel's room always made him feel so at ease. Even at such a heavy time like this, Sergio found comfort in seeing her little trinkets lying around, the smell of her perfume subtly wafting in the air, and the photos and tickets plastered on one of her walls. Her very presence soothed his entire being.

They usually spent time in his apartment but they would come over here to have a change of scenery, as Raquel would call it, and to spend time with Alicia, too. The three of them would make a mini party consisting of margaritas and hours of board games until they passed out.

Sergio and Raquel were once again laid in her bed, quietly talking about all the things that happened the past week as a torrent of tears were shared. Raquel was tucked to his side while his arm was wrapped around her waist, drawing soft circles on her back.

"Sergio, can you tell me your favorite childhood memory?" Raquel broke their peaceful silence.

He smiled fondly at the treasured memory that came to mind. "I guess it would be the times when Mama and Papa would take me and Andrés on a spontaneous road trip to Lisbon. As you know, I was a rather sickly child and I'd only get spurts of good health and energy. My parents would take it upon themselves to pack up our car and just go for a few days. I think in retrospect, they were trying to make us forget about my illness. There was always this unspoken thought in the family that it would consume me and I'd ultimately die. Even I was afraid I was going to die."

Sergio shifted his gaze from the ceiling to her face as she shifted her upper body on his chest, resting her chin on top of her hands. He saw her eyes shine with unshed tears for him. He always tried not to talk about his harrowing childhood because people would look at him with pity. He could see that his admission saddened Raquel, but he could also see that there was no pity there, only relief.

"I'm glad you're okay now, Sergio," Raquel whispered.

"Yeah, me too. By some miracle, maybe the grace of God saved me, we'll never know. I'm just grateful that I was fixed because if I haven’t I wouldn’t be here, cuddling with the love of my life."

Raquel leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his lips and smiled, "Continue with your story, cariño."

"Well, we'd usually leave early in the morning. Mama would wake me with a hug and a kiss on the forehead. She’s naturally affectionate that way. After we were safely tucked in the car, we'd drive while we watched the sunrise. Andres and I played many silly games throughout our journey. We would sing songs and our parents even sang along with us." 

"No wonder it's one of your favorite memories," Raquel commented.

"That's not even the best part." He replied. "When we finally get to Lisbon, I'd always sit on the side of the car where I can watch the sea as we pass by the Oeiras-Estoril-Cascais coastline, on the west, to get to our little cabin in Praia de Sao Pedro. It was just a couple of hundred meters from the sea. Once we arrive, I would immediately jump out of the car, and my brother and I would race to the beach as we shook off our shoes along the way.” Sergio was silent for a moment, then sighed. “I always appreciated how Andres treated me. He was attentive, yes, but he never treated me differently. It was as if I wasn’t sick all the time. I was just his normal, awkward, kid brother, you know? We’ve always had this bond. Even if we would get on each other’s nerves, at the end of the day, I’ll love him because he’s my brother.”

“Hmm, I know that feeling. There were days I wanted to claw my sisters’ eyes out. I can remember an incident when that nearly happened.” Raquel laughed. “But yeah, even if they annoyed me so much, my sisters were always there for me whenever I needed people to confide in. Don’t get me wrong, I love my parents to death but there are some things you can only tell your sisters.”

“I’ve always considered, even as a child, that family should be a priority. And I’m glad you feel that way, too.”

“Even if I want to kill my sisters from time to time?”

Sergio laughed at that and so did Raquel.

“Anyway, we would have adventurous days and peaceful nights there. Some days we would go to the center and just do touristy things. We usually stay in Lisbon for a couple of days before returning home. We’d often go there during summer break every year. Have you ever been there?"

"No," Raquel replied. "But I've always planned to someday."

"I actually wanted to take you there sometime this year. I remember you saying how much you loved the beach. If you were up to it, we can go?”

Raquel’s eyes brightened with his invitation and exclaimed. “Si.”

"Vamos?"

"Vamos."

* * *

  
  


Raquel watched as the scenic views of Lisbon whipped past her car window. She and Sergio briefly visited his parents in San Sebastian for a day. His parents hugged her tightly as they welcomed her back to their home. Elena, Sergio's mother, had tears in her eyes when she talked with her in the living room. After two and a half weeks since the miscarriage, she and Sergio were in a better place now. But from time to time, she'd find herself suddenly drowned in sadness. The doctor said it was normal for her to be highly emotional because her hormones were still raging. Raquel still couldn't quite wrap her mind at the loss of the hope of holding their baby. She would quickly stow away the deep feelings before Sergio would notice the dark cloud hanging above her head. As far as he knew, they were healing. It was just a little harder on her and her body that is aching to touch what they couldn't have.

They soon took off the next morning with his family's car, which Sergio borrowed so that their trip would be easier, and the keys to their beach cabin. Raquel looked at him on the driver's seat. He was focused on the road before him when he noticed her gazing at him. He smiled. Raquel reached out her left hand and covered his right hand that was on the gear shift, interlacing their fingers. She beamed at him, silently showing him her excitement with her eyes. 

“We’re nearly there, querida,” Sergio said.

“We’re not even there yet and I’m already jumping with excitement. The sea has that effect on me.”

“I’m glad. This trip was definitely a great idea for us.”

“Thank you again for this, cariño,” Raquel said as she leaned over the gearshift and laid a quick kiss on his cheek.

She rested back in her seat and continued humming to the songs on the radio as they sped through the highway. She could hear Sergio humming silently with her. She loved how on their first official date he shyly admitted to only listening to classical music. Looking back to the months they’ve been together, she introduced him to all types of her favorite music. And now, he would casually join her in the song sometimes. It was so refreshing to see herself growing with this man she loved. Yes, she was already a strong, confident woman when she met him but she found that she was capable of loving someone so deeply and passionately without losing herself and her self-worth in the process.

Sergio took a right turn off the highway, onto a dirt road that led to a quaint little cabin with the sparkling turquoise waters of the Portuguese sea as its backdrop. He parked the car in front of the steps of the porch. Raquel exited the car and marveled at the quiet beauty of her surroundings. 

“It really is beautiful here, cariño,” she said to Sergio who was unloading their bags and groceries from the back of the car.

"Wait until you see the back porch." He raised his brows at her excitedly. "Venga."

They entered the little cabin and she was greeted by a cozy living area in the heart of the house. Behind the dark-colored couch was a wall of glass panes formed by rustic-looking wood. It gave the already soothing view of the sea and the sun nearly setting a more tranquil feel. She walked out onto the deck and down the few steps and felt the sand on her feet. God, I missed the beach, she thought.

Raquel let most of the tension she felt, leave her body as she inhaled the warm breeze. She felt strong arms snake their way to her waist. Sergio kissed her hair and breathed in her sweet scent mingling with the refreshing smell of the sea air.

"It's so peaceful here." Raquel mused as she closed her eyes. "I think I'm in love."

Sergio held her waist and turned her in his arms. "You're only realizing that now? I've been in love with you since I met you." He teased.

Raquel laughed heartily. "Oh, shut up! You already know I'm in love with you! I meant I'm in love with this place, too."

He smiled. "Good. Because we can go here anytime you want, querida."

"¿De verdad?" Raquel asked incredulously. 

"Yes. My parents told me so. Maybe we could invite Andrés and Alicia to come with us next time?"

“That would be amazing.” Raquel’s smile widened and she reached up and kissed him. “Te quiero.”

“Yo también te quiero, Raquel.” Sergio whispered.

Raquel held his hand and led him towards the shoreline just a few meters ahead.

“Hold on, I just have to get something,” Sergio said as he sprinted up the steps and retrieved something from his bag that was on the couch.

She saw him holding his polaroid camera in his hands as he walked back towards her. 

“I want to take a picture of your first time in Lisbon,” Sergio said. 

Raquel could only smile and blush at his sentimentality. There was no doubt in her mind of her love for him.

Sergio held her by the hand as they began the short walk towards the shoreline. Raquel let her feet be caressed by the soft waves when Sergio released her hand and backed away. He held up the camera to his face and said, “Smile.”

She gave a sweet smile to the camera as he captured the moment. 

Raquel approached him and gave him a hug. “Now take a picture of us.”

Sergio took the printed photo of Raquel. He then held up the camera towards them and clicked. 

  
  


* * *

  
  


They were now sitting at a small, vibrant restaurant just a few miles from the cabin. Sergio claimed they had the best bifanas he has ever tasted. She could definitely attest to that claim now. It was really good. They were served with some house beer as well. This is becoming one of the best vacations she’s ever had.

So far, Raquel was already sold with the atmosphere of the place. It was intimately lit, a live band crooning on the side and there was a make-shift dance floor beside them. She briefly excused herself from their table to go to the ladies’ room but when she came to sit back down, Sergio was wearing a mischievous smile on his face as he slowly stood up from his seat. He silently held out his hand to hers.

Confused, she asked, “Sergio, what are you doing?”

“Raquel, will you dance with me?”

It finally dawns on her that the band was playing a familiar tune. It was one of her favorites. She’d often hum it every day. She stood up and let Sergio lead her to the dance floor. He took her other hand and placed it on his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her waist. They started to sway to the music, letting the words wash through them.

Wise men say

Only fools rush in

But I can't help falling in love with you

Shall I stay?

Would it be a sin

If I can't help falling in love with you?

Like a river flows

Surely to the sea

Darling, so it goes

Some things are meant to be

Take my hand

Take my whole life too

For I can't help falling in love with you

Like a river flows

Surely to the sea

Darling, so it goes

Some things are meant to be

Take my hand

Take my whole life too

For I can't help falling in love with you

For I can't help falling in love with you

Sergio and Raquel kept their heads close together even as the song faded into another. It was as if they were in their little bubble. Treasuring this little moment of happiness they shared. 

Raquel sat back down on her seat, feeling euphoric, when she noticed a little girl, not older than two years old, sat with her parents at the table next to theirs. She couldn’t stop the tidal wave of emotions crashing down on her as she remembered their own child that they never held or kissed. 

Sergio was telling her about his and Andres’ shenanigans here when they were young when he noticed that she’d gone silent. He saw that she was gazing at the family sitting next to them, a middle-aged pair with their toddler. It was as if Raquel was miles away. 

Deep down, he knew what was bothering her. They may not have been together for years, although it felt like it, he understood how her mind works and how intensely she felt. Her empathic nature was truly one of her many amazing traits but it can also be her downfall since the accident. It was holding her back from really letting go of the pain. 

“Raquel,” he said to get her attention. She looked at him with sad, vacant eyes. “Do you want to go back to the house? You must be tired from the trip.”

She gave him a nod and said, “Okay.”

Their drive back to the cabin was silent. Raquel seemed distant, she’s been staring through the passenger window the whole time. Sergio sighed quietly. Just when he thought they were having a great time, life throws this curveball at them. Maybe a good night’s sleep would do them good.

They prepared for bed like a married couple, moving around the room like they’ve been together for years. Soon, they were huddled in the middle of the bed, fast asleep. A few hours later, Sergio felt Raquel shift restlessly beside him. Concerned, he moved closer and noticed she was bathed in sweat and was crying. It must be another one of her nightmares since the miscarriage.

“Raquel,” Sergio tried to jostle her awake, “querida, wake up.”

Raquel woke with a gasp. She was breathing deeply when she turned to him and embraced him. She cried into his neck as Sergio held her while sobs racked her body. They lay like that for what felt like hours. When her tears finally subsided, Raquel slowly started kissing him, her lips traveling up his neck and his jaw. 

They haven’t had sex for a couple of weeks now, even before what happened. They slept with a sadness covering both of them, and now she just had a night. He’s just concerned about what Raquel must be feeling to initiate sex right now. 

“Raquel…” he whispered.

“Sergio, please.” She sniffed. “I-I need you to make me feel like myself again. I need you to make me feel like a woman right now. Please…”

He couldn’t refuse her so he did what she needed him to do; he kissed her. Sergio shifted his body to in between her legs, as he continued the dancing of their lips.

“Querida, are you sure about this?” he asked as he held her face, looking into her eyes for reassurance.

“Please, Sergio… I need you.”


	14. Terrified

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can they overcome their demons and finally set their emotions free to resolve the underlying sadness that they can't seem to be rid of? Or will this be the end of a chapter for their relationship?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, my lovely readers!  
> I can't believe the end is near for this story. Only one more chapter to go! Phew! I know I said on twitter that I wanted to finish this before the year 2020 ended but, alas, here we are. As much as I want this story to go on and on and on, I won't be having a lot of time to write in the next months. I'll be very busy with my board exam review and I wanted to give you all closure for this little story. ☺️😘
> 
> also, shoutout to one of my best girls, and one of the most talented writers I know, @lonelychicagos, for proofreading this chapter! go check out her fanfic here on ao3 because it is AMAZING.

_ You by the light is the greatest find _

_ In a world full wrong you're the thing that's right _

_ Finally made it through the lonely to the other side _

_ You said it again, my heart's in motion _

_ Every word feels like a shooting star _

_ I'm at the edge of my emotions _

_ Watching the shadows burning in the dark _

_ And I'm in love _

_ And I'm terrified _

_ For the first time and the last time in my only life _

_ This could be good, it's already better than that _

_ And nothing's worse than knowing you're holding back _

_ I could be all that you needed if you let me try _

_ You said it again my heart's in motion _

_ Every word feels like a shooting star _

_ I'm at the edge of my emotions _

_ Watching the shadows burning in the dark _

_ And I'm in love _

_ And I'm terrified _

_ For the first time and the last time in my only _

_ I only said it 'cause I mean it, oh _

_ I only mean 'cause it's true _

_ So don't you doubt what I've been dreamin' _

_ 'Cause it fills me up and holds me close whenever I'm without you _

_ You said it again my heart's in motion _

_ Every word feels like a shooting star _

_ Watching the shadows burning in the dark _

_ And I'm in love _

_ And I'm terrified _

_ For the first time and the last time in my only life, life, life _

_ In my only life _

_ ~Terrified by Katherine McPhee _

  
  
  


Happiness always sleeps next door to sadness. Sometimes they come out together but most times, one walks the halls alone when the other is locked inside. 

Emotions have to be felt to the highest degree before you let it consume you. Body and soul. Yes, euphoria can be the most amazing thing you can ever feel. Falling in love with your better half, well it’s something otherworldly. People search the world for their own source of happiness. Some may take a lifetime. For him, it only took an initially dismayed trip to a bar. One can never know what can happen when you leap into something so foreign, all you can do is hope for the best and maybe, just maybe, you unexpectedly find your purpose in life.

That’s what happened to him, that night at the bar. He met the most beautiful, most mesmerizing, ethereal being that has ever set foot on earth. From the moment their eyes met, he  _ knew that _ he should take a leap of faith and take a chance of something with her. Because, even as virtual strangers, their hearts and minds intertwined together.

Since that fateful night, his life changed from mundane and monochromatic into a wondrous world of technicolor. He’s never seen such vibrant colors before she entered his life. And he’s never seen anything brighter than her smile that was always directed at him. Not even the sun. Every time he gets a glimpse of her radiant smile, he’s reminded of his purpose in life, to bring her the joy she deserves. Every single day. 

Even though he wasn’t a connoisseur in dating and relationships, in general, Sergio always knew that it had its ups and downs. The majority of his and Raquel’s were mostly fun and exciting. Growing with her as a person and as a lover has been the most exhilarating journey for him. They have always been open with each other. Being a former closed off person, it was one of the things Raquel brought out in him. 

They rarely had disagreements, but even then, they would settle them amicably. They certainly didn’t expect this sudden tragedy to happen to them. And now, it was as if they were in a standstill, slowly drifting apart even as they desperately cling to each other. This was the ultimate test in the relationship. Will this wedge a rift between them or will it bind and fortify them as a couple? 

That was the internal struggle in his head as he looked back at the love of his life, in his arms, crying for him to take her, to take the pain away.

“Sergio, please.” She sniffed. “I-I need you to make me feel like myself again. I need you to make me feel like a woman right now. Please…”

He’s never heard her plead like this before…with such sorrow and despair. He could feel his heart crack at the tone of her voice. Just another addition to his already broken heart. 

“ _ Querida _ , are you sure about this?” he asked as he held her face, looking into her eyes for reassurance.

God, how he adored her. Loved her. But he didn’t realize how deep their wounds really were. He thought they were in a better place now. He was wrong. He doesn’t know if it can be healed by their love.

“Please, Sergio… I need you.” She whispered.

He didn’t waste any more time before gently shifting his body on top of her. Bringing a hand between them, he cradled the side of her face that was still stained with her tears. Looking into her brown orbs as he brought their lips together once again. He felt Raquel’s hands roam his upper body, gripping his arms, then on his nape where she played with his hair. Her legs circled his waist and she proceeded to grind her center to his already growing hard-on. He let out a groan as he felt her hot center searing him even through the thin cloth of his pants.

Sergio can hear her low groans while he ground his hips to hers. Raquel’s legs tightened their hold on his hips. He then ended their liplock and let his lips travel to the expanse of her elegant neck, her clavicle, and to the top of her breasts. He let his hands drift down the hem of her silk nightgown, and reached up to cup her breasts. He felt her back arch as he brought his mouth to one hard nipple. And to the other. He then kissed his way down her sternum, to her hips, and finally to her bare sex.

  
  
  


“Oh, God. Oh, God, please, please…” she chanted.

  
  
  


It feels like ages since she felt this way. Raquel knew Sergio loved her. There wasn’t any question about that. But he has been treating her like glass since… Although she was rather distant even as they tried to get through the rough days so she can’t really fault him in this regard. Still… she missed this, craved his touch that wasn’t just for comfort. She knew Sergio still wanted her. She sees the way he looks at her hungrily but wouldn’t follow through because he thinks he might break her.  _ Shit _ . She was damaged goods now so she shouldn’t wonder why he was hesitant. But now, feeling him lavish her body like he’s always done before… it renewed the passion they shared and slowly washed away the doubts of the undying love that seemed to have dimmed since the miscarriage.

Raquel let herself go as he went down on her. Letting him give her the release she desperately needed to feel whole again. To feel like the woman he fell in love with again. 

“Oh, God!” She cried out as she sensed the all familiar sensations of an orgasm spike through her body. “Sergio… I’m gonna…” She grabbed a fistful of his hair as she moaned and ground her center to his face.

She saw stars. She was breathing hard when Sergio finally crawled back up her body to align his face to hers again and kissed her fervently. She could taste herself on his tongue which made her even wetter than she already was. 

With one hand, Sergio jerkily shoved down his pajama pants and took hold of his rock hard member. He slowly coated it with her essence before burying himself into her to the hilt with a gentle thrust of his hips. Their groans filled the room as they stayed there, unmoving, for what seemed like an eternity. Letting themselves feel the moment their problems slowly melt away by their union. 

Raquel reached down and cupped his ass, silently urging him to move. He complied by giving her soft, gentle strokes as he kissed and sucked the sensitive spots on her neck. He could hear her mewls of pleasure begin to get louder with every accelerating thrust. 

Sergio could feel Raquel’s hand gripping his shoulder and the other on one of his ass cheeks. Her nails scraping his scorched skin. It felt like they were going to leave marks but at this point he didn’t really care because their joined arousal was at an all-time high. The sound of their skins meeting echoed in the room, mixed with their mutual groans as they moved together to reach their peaks.

  
  
  


The next morning, Sergio woke up next to cold sheets where Raquel was supposed to be. He’d thought that she would sleep in after they made sweet, slow, love two more times in the early hours in the morning. In those moments of pure love and passion that was shared between them, somehow, he knew they'd exorcised the doubts that still hung above their heads before they came here. That was when he decided to do what he had been planning before the tragedy happened. He stood up from the bed, put on his pants, and went to get his surprise for Raquel in the secret compartment of his bag.

It was already bright and sunny outside. He worriedly searched for her in the little house. She wasn’t in the bathroom, living room, nor the kitchen, but he did find freshly made brew in the coffeemaker and an unwashed mug in the sink. There was only one place he knew for sure she would be. He made his way down the steps of the deck and immediately spotted her damp bikini-clad body sitting on the sand, just staring at the sea. 

Sergio came up behind her and placed his hands on her bare shoulders. Raquel looked and smiled up at him.

“ _ Buenos dias, mi amor _ .” He said as he placed a soft kiss on her forehead. He then sat down next to her and stretched his legs in front of him to let the waves play with his feet. “You’re up early. I missed your beautiful face when I woke up.”

“ _ Buenos dias _ . I’m sorry. You were sleeping so soundly, I didn’t want to wake you. It was a beautiful day so I decided to go for an early swim.” she said.

Raquel looked so relaxed and at peace as she let the sea breeze gently brush her face and tangle her hair. This was the most beautiful he had seen her, sun-kissed and happy. She deserved to be this way for the rest of their lives. He didn’t lie to her when he said he could see a future of them living happily together. He can see it every time he looks at her.

Sergio silently took her hand in his. Raquel turned her attention back to him, her easy smile not leaving her face.

“Raquel…” he started.

“ _ Si,  _ _ cariño _ _? _ ” she asked, tilting her head to the side, curious as to what he was about to say.

“Do you remember when you asked me what I’d imagine for the future?”

“ _ Si _ …” she replied, not really knowing where he was going with this conversation.

“I told you that I saw us still together and happier than ever…”

Confused, she started to panic and asked, “Are you saying that it has changed now?”

“No, no! What I’m trying to say is that I’m promising it to you now.” Reaching inside his pocket, he brought out the ring he has been holding onto for several weeks. 

Raquel saw it glimmer in the sunlight and immediately jumped to her feet.

“Oh, my God, Sergio! Wh-what…?”

Sergio went to shift to go down on one knee in front of her as she gaped at him with wide eyes while her hands shakily went to cover her mouth.

“Raquel, the very moment I saw you up on that stage, you completely took my breath away. I was so caught up in your spell that I never wanted to break from it. In my many years of living in solitude, never in my life had I had a reaction like that with anyone. I used to love my aloneness. I was content not having a girlfriend and a big group of friends. But you… you changed all of that for me. Since you came into my life, the sun shone brighter, the days and nights were longer and my love for you grew stronger every day.”

Her eyes shone with tears as she listened to his spiel.

“You made me the man I am today.  _ You  _ made me a  _ better man _ . Back then, I was just the awkward virgin who never thought he’d ever had a chance with a woman as amazing as you. The only thing I was proud of was my academic achievements.”

He took a deep breath and raised the hand holding the ring. 

“Raquel Murillo, I want to proudly say to the world that you’re the only woman for me. Will you do me the honor of marrying me?”

She let out a loud gasp as she rushed to him, circling her arms around his neck. Leaning back, she held his face in her hands. With tears streaming down her cheeks she said, “Sergio, before I give you the answer we both want to hear, I need to say something first.”

“What is it,  _ mi amor _ ?”

“I want another baby,” she said with a hitch in her voice.

Sergio blinked a few times, processing what she had just said.

“I want to know if that’s something you still see in our future together even after what we went through. I want you to be sure of what you’re asking me before I say yes.” she continued.

“ _ Querida _ , I know we’ve had a difficult couple of months but I’m  _ certain _ of what I’m asking you. I  _ want  _ to be yours. I  _ want  _ you to be mine. And I _ do want _ a family with you.”

A big, shaky smile formed on her face as she leaned forward and gave him a long, languid kiss.

Breaking the kiss, he laughingly asked, “I’m assuming that’s a yes?”

“Yes! A thousand times yes!” Raquel nodded and shouted as she offered him her still shaky left hand to put on the ring.

She studied the ring as the sunlight bounced off of its dainty design. It was a thin band of white gold with a small emerald on the center and two smaller diamonds on either side. It was simply beautiful.

“Do you like it?” Sergio asked.

“It’s absolutely perfect. I love it. I love  _ you. _ ” Raquel said as she kissed him with more passion than before. 

She gave his shoulders a bit of a push, urging him to lie down on the sand. She straddled him, her knees on either side of his hips as she leaned over him. 

They continued to kiss passionately on the shore of  Praia de São Pedro before Sergio finally broke for air and breathed. “ _ You’re  _ perfect, Raquel. And I’ll love you forever.”

  
  
  
  



	15. Because You Loved Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For better and for worse? 'Til death do them part? An unexpected love that united them even through rough waters and will continue to do so. For the rest of their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hola a todos!  
> It's my birthday today! 💖 I know it feels like ages since I last updated but, after my last chapter I decided to post this final installment on my birthday to be more memorable😅 so here I am, finally giving you all the sweetest and longest chapter, I think, I have ever written.  
> I have been sitting on this update for a couple of days now and I am positively shaking with excitement as I finally let y'all see it!
> 
> I wanted to thank everyone who has been with me on this amazing journey. Since day one, a lot of you kept me up with your comments, kudos and twitter interactions! I never thought in a million years that I'd be writing a lengthy story like this one. I always thought I was only a fanfic-reader but now, I guess, I can finally say I'm a fanfic writer? *laughs* anyways....
> 
> I also wanted to give a shoutout to my first beta readers, Korny, (my constant proofreaders) Kat and Nicole, I am so so grateful for everything.  
> To Rheana, Yel, Adri, Meg, Crystal and my other close friends in the LCDP fandom who have hyped up my updates and gave me so much love and positivity. I love you all so much!❤️️😘

She took a deep, calming breath as she looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror. She felt nervous, all the butterflies fluttering like crazy in her stomach. But, she wasn’t getting cold feet. That much she was sure of. She was probably just jittery with excitement at the thought of marrying the love of her life. From being literal strangers then jumping into a relationship together in less than 24 hours, some people might say that their relationship was a “whirlwind romance”. She didn’t think of it that way, for them it was as if they fell in love in slow motion. She has never enjoyed a man’s company so much before him.

Raquel let her hands roam to the material hugging her body, accentuating her curves in the most flattering way. Alicia and her mom helped to pick it out. They both gasped when they saw her step out of the fitting room wearing it with her hair in a loose bun tied with only a pencil she had in her handbag. It was a simple white dress, with lace trimmings at the modest v-cut on the front and a plunging back that scooped at the top of her butt. The material fitted her abs and hips like a glove and softly flared out at an inch with a slit that opened above her knees. She can’t wait to see Sergio’s reaction when he finally sees her in it. He has been begging to sneak a peek since she brought it to their apartment, where they have been living together for a few months after graduation.

_After Sergio’s proposal, they excitedly talked for hours on that beach about all their plans. She wanted a simple beach wedding there in Lisbon. Sergio agreed but hesitated when he asked if her parents were religious people._

_“Well, yes, I guess we should consider a church wedding… but it has to be a small event! I don’t want to make a spectacle of us. I want it to be just close friends and family.” Raquel said._

_“Of course, mi querida.” Sergio smiled softly at her._

_She giggled. “I wonder if Mama would like the idea of having a small wedding? She’s always said she wanted my sisters and me to have extravagant dresses, venues, etc.”_

_“We could still have that, Raquel. I’ll get another job-“, Sergio started to say but she placed her hand on his lips to halt him._

_“No, cariño. I appreciate the thought but I don’t need all that. My family already loves you and I just want to marry you. As soon as possible, preferably after we graduate.” Raquel smiled dreamily. “I’ve always imagined myself in my wedding dress, dancing barefoot in the arms of my husband at the beach, under the midsummer sun.”_

_“Vale. I guess we have our wedding date.” Sergio beamed at her before leaning towards her and giving her a gentle kiss._

As she admired her blushing image, she found her hands stopping on her belly. The weeks prior to their engagement was… rough, to say the least. The loss of their baby was one of the hardest things she and Sergio had to go through, as a couple and as individuals who loved the thought of having a family. The pain and emptiness she felt were indescribable. She never failed to tear up whenever she thinks of the baby they never got to see grow up. She would longingly stare at children that would pass her or even the sight of her niece, Sofia, would put her in a melancholy state. Since then, she dreamed of being a good mother. Raquel closed her eyes in silent prayer, Soon.

She was brought out of her internal musings by three knocks at the door.

“Knock, knock.” she heard Alicia call. “Are you finally decent?”

“Yes, Alicia, come in.”

“Oh, my God!” her best friend exclaimed when she stepped into the room. “You are a vision, Raquel. I knew the dress would be perfect for you when I first saw it on the rack.”

“Thank you, Ali.” she smiled at her.

“Now, I wouldn’t be the best maid of honor if I didn’t ask, are you really sure about this? I could offer you a ride to get out of here. I mean, there’s still time?” Alicia suggested with a quirk of her lips.

Raquel laughed heartily. “Oh, Ali! I appreciate the concern but… Sergio is it for me. He’s the one my soul has been searching for.”

Alicia playfully rolled her eyes. “Ugh. Gag! I can’t believe you’re leaving me all alone in the dating pool!”

“You know as much as I do that you’re a hard woman to chain down with marriage. Not that I’m gonna let Sergio chain me down or anything-”

“Oh, you better!” her friend howled.

“Alicia!” She giggled at that. “I’m not talking about that kind of chaining but I would certainly take it under advisement. But what I’m trying to say is that I hope someday soon, you’ll get to feel this… this happiness with somebody. I want to be your maid of honor, too, you know.”

“Who said you will be?” Alicia mocked.

“Oh, shut up! I’m serious. Even though I’ll be a married woman, I’ll always be here for you, no matter what. We can always have our quarterly cry-fests and movie nights. Any time. Just call me.” She said sincerely.

Alicia sniffed. “You bitch! How dare you make me cry on your wedding day. You’re gonna make me ruin my makeup! I hate you.”

“Please, you love me.” Raquel rolled her eyes and tugged her best friend into a hug.

“You’re right, I do love you. But if Sergio ever hurts you, I have permission to castrate him, right?”

“You’re unbelievable.” Raquel shook her head. “Now, have you seen Sergio and my parents?” 

“Yeah, your parents are outside the car waiting for you. Andres called and even suggested chaining Sergio to a pew till you get there because he has apparently been wearing down the marble floors by pacing restlessly at the altar. So I suggest we get moving and marry you off.”

“Vamos.”

Raquel met her parents at the bridal car where they were waiting for her. Her mother gasped and her father teared up, at the sight of her. It took everything in her soul not to cry with him right there and then. Her father held out his hand to her as she approached them.

“You look breathtakingly beautiful, _mija_ ,” Her father silently gushed as he pulled her into a tight embrace.

“Thank you, papa.” Raquel whispered back to him.

* * *

Raquel now stood in front of the old, wooden doors of the church that slowly opened as she heard the first few notes of a slowed version of Can’t Help Falling In Love being played inside. Tightening her hold on her father’s elbow, she took her first steps inside, her eyes scanning the crowd that was beaming at her. Finally, her eyes fell on the beautiful tuxedo-clad man waiting for her at the end of the aisle. She saw him shifting on his feet, his hands clasped together in front of him, a bright smile on his lips and, even from afar, she can tell he had tears in his eyes as he watched her approach him.

 _She’s ethereal. I’m probably dead and she’s the angel sent to come for me because she can’t possibly be real. The way she’s floating towards me right now - she could be mistaken for a deity. In fact, she is a goddess, to whom I have laid my life for and will continue to do so,_ Sergio thought as she watched the love of his life walk down the aisle with her father. She was a vision in white, her tanned skin glowing, her golden brown hair cascading down her back in gentle waves with soft tendrils framing her gorgeous face, and her wedding dress hugging her body like it was made only for her. No wonder she kept me from seeing her in it, she looks absolutely breathtaking.

With a shaky breath, and tears forming his eyes, Sergio surreptitiously leaned to his brother and whispered, “Andres, pinch me, I have to be dreaming. I can’t believe this amazing woman is going to- Ow!” He hissed when Andres pinched him on the arm.

His brother only looked at him with innocent eyes and gleefully whispered back, “What? You said to pinch you. I didn’t want to pass up the opportunity.” 

Sergio ignored his brother and brought his focus back to the woman nearly in front of him.

Her father approached him first and offered to shake his hand while leaning in to whisper, “I trust you’ll take care of my hija, Sergio.”

Giving the man a reassuring smile, he replied “I’ll do my very best sir, you can count on that.” 

Giving him a nod, Avelino turned to his daughter and smiled, silently giving her hand to Sergio before backing away and taking a seat on the front pew beside his wife.

Sergio stared at Raquel, who was giving him a bashful smile through the material of her veil, as he led her up to the altar where the priest was waiting for them. He squeezed her hand to make her look at him. I love you, he silently mouthed to her. He watched as her eyes go even softer when she mouthed back to him, I love you, too. 

“Welcome, loved ones. We are gathered here today to join Raquel and Sergio in holy matrimony.” The priest began and continued to give his sermon about the holiness of marriage.

Sergio couldn’t care less what was said, he was solely focused on the stunning woman beside him. He found it adorable how the blush never left her cheeks, the natural smile constantly framing her face and the way she was literally glowing with happiness and excitement. As the priest ran on with his spiel, he kept on staring at Raquel, and her to him.

The time finally came for the exchanging of vows. Sergio took a deep breath, interlocked his fingers with Raquel, and looked directly into her eyes.

“For years, I welcomed my solitude and my books as company. But one fateful night, I heard the voice of an angel calling to me from a stage of a crummy college bar, and it all changed for me. The moment I locked eyes with you, I knew in my heart that I’ve already fallen hard for you, and I was willingly handing you my heart on a silver platter. Luckily for me, you didn’t crush it into a million pieces and threw it back at me. You nurtured it instead. You taught me how to love, Raquel. There will never be enough words in this earth to describe how much I love you and will continue to love you. For the rest of our lives, if you’ll have me.”

There were tears swimming in her brown eyes when she finally let out a shaky breath and said,

“You were the unexpected love that I’ve always longed for. I spent some time wondering what my soulmate would be like. People might see you as this socially awkward man but what you showed me was more than that. You let me see the side of Sergio Marquina that not a lot of people get to see, and that makes me feel special. You make me feel special and loved. I thought I was going to keep on searching for years to find the person who was going to love me for me, my heart and my mind, not just my body, but, when I saw you smiling in that bar... Sergio, you brightened up that dark room. I instantly felt so drawn to you that I didn’t let rational thinking convince me not to approach you that night. Since then, I’ve been thanking my lucky stars to have found such a kind, patient and thoughtful man to stumble into my life, fill it with so much love and make it a thousand times more beautiful. I’ll love you forever, cariño.”

Sergio sniffed and caressed her knuckles with his thumbs.

“I, Sergio Marquina, take you, Raquel Murillo, to be my wife, my partner in life, and my one true love.

I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever.

I will trust you and honor you

I will laugh with you and cry with you.

I will love you faithfully

Through the best and the worst,

Through the difficult and the easy.

Whatever may come I will always be there.

As I have given you my hand to hold

So I give you my life to keep.”

Momentarily releasing his hand to carefully wipe a tear from her eye, Raquel held it again and began,

“I, Raquel Murillo, take you, Sergio Marquina to be my husband, my partner in life, and my one true love.

I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever.

I will trust you and honor you

I will laugh with you and cry with you.

I will love you faithfully

Through the best and the worst,

Through the difficult and the easy.

Whatever may come I will always be there.

As I have given you my hand to hold

So I give you my life to keep”

With shaking hands, Sergio held her left one and slid the ring to her finger, as did Raquel to his.

“By the power vested in me I now pronounce you, husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.” The priest announced.

Sergio lifted the veil in front of her face and let it fall to the back of her head. Carefully, he cradled her face and let his lips touch hers gently. After their kiss ended, he leaned their foreheads together.

They stayed there, smiling at each other, for what felt like an eternity, savoring the moment, letting the fact that they’re really bonded together forever sink in.

* * *

The wedding party was in full swing. They opted to have the reception in a small hotel near the cabin in Lisbon. Sergio wanted to give Raquel her dream. So that’s where they are right now, having their first dance as husband and wife, dancing barefoot on the sand with the setting sun on the horizon of the sea as their background.

Raquel let out a contented sigh as she lifted her face from his chest to look him in the eyes and brought her arms on his shoulders to interlock her hands behind his neck. “Sergio, can you believe it?”

“Believe what, querida?” Sergio asked with a tilt of his head and a warm smile.

“We’re officially married.” She teased with a grin.

He closed his eyes, his smile went bashful. “Oh, Raquel. I didn’t need an event or a piece of paper to confirm that I was going to stay with you for the rest of our lives. I knew it the moment you agreed to be my girlfriend.”

She felt herself go warm at his words. Pushing herself on tiptoe, she guided his lips to hers in a soft kiss.

She could feel the calm and serene feeling they were both experiencing. It truly has been a perfect day. With their close friends and family in attendance, the reception was alive with chatter and good music courtesy of a live band Raquel knew from college. She knew that Sergio, a known reclusive person, was enjoying himself, the smile constantly plastered on his face since she saw him waiting for her at the altar. What he didn’t know was that she had a surprise for him.

After dancing with their respective parents, Sergio led her back to their table. When he pulled her chair back she raised a hand to his shoulder to halt him.

“Actually, cariño, I’ll be right back. I have to go to the bathroom really quickly.” She said.

“Oh,” Sergio looked at her mischievously, “should I accompany you?”

Raquel giggled loudly and lightly smacked his arm. “Behave! Or you won’t get your surprise later.”

Like a puppy hearing the crinkling of a snack package, Sergio’s head perked up. “A surprise? What kind of surprise?”

She leaned into his ear and whispered huskily. “Just be a good boy for the rest of the party and you’ll find out soon enough.”

Raquel watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed hard, his cheeks tainted with a deep blush. His eyes darted around to see if anybody heard her, he nervously adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose with his fingers, and said, “V-vale…”

“Bueno. Have a seat and I’ll be back in a bit.” She said as she discreetly walked to the restroom but sidestepped to the back of the make-shift stage. She gave the band a signal and they all nodded as they finished the song they were playing.

Raquel grabbed a microphone and confidently walked up to the center of the stage. Her eyes scanned the crowd, some were slowly noticing her presence in front of them. She saw Sergio talking to Andres at their table. Perfect, she thought. She looked back at the band behind her and nodded to them to begin.

Unbeknownst to Sergio, when Andres sat down next to him at the table and struck up a conversation on how married life was treating him even though it was only a couple of hours, he didn’t notice Raquel going up to the stage. He felt a shiver run down his spine and goosebumps on his arms when he heard her singing.

_For all those times you stood by me_

_For all the truth that you made me see_

_For all the joy you brought to my life_

_For all the wrong that you made right_

_For every dream you made come true_

_For all the love I found in you_

_I'll be forever thankful, baby_

_You're the one who held me up_

_Never let me fall_

_You're the one who saw me through, through it all_

He looked towards the small stage and saw her looking at him with soft eyes, singing her heart out to him in front of all the guests. It was as if they were back in that bar but now in a different setting but the sensations were still the same. He always gets like this whenever she sings, dumbfounded and awed with her melodic voice.

_You were my strength when I was weak_

_You were my voice when I couldn't speak_

_You were my eyes when I couldn't see_

_You saw the best there was in me_

_Lifted me up when I couldn't reach_

_You gave me faith 'cause you believed_

_I'm everything I am_

_Because you loved me_

Sergio felt his heart constrict as he let the lyrics she was singing wash over him. Raquel was pouring her entire heart and soul in her voice, translating every emotion to him even from this short distance. Tears were forming in his eyes for the second time that day. Only Raquel could make him cry with happiness twice in one day.

_You gave me wings and made me fly_

_You touched my hand, I could touch the sky_

_I lost my faith, you gave it back to me_

_You said no star was out of reach_

_You stood by me and I stood tall_

_I had your love, I had it all_

_I'm grateful for each day you gave me_

_Maybe I don't know that much_

_But I know this much is true_

_I was blessed because I was loved by you_

At this point, Sergio was unable to resist standing from his seat and walking slowly to the front of the stage, in front of Raquel. He could see her eyes never leaving him as he approached. She reached her hand towards him and he took it in his as she continued to sing and him still gazing up at her.

_You were my strength when I was weak_

_You were my voice when I couldn't speak_

_You were my eyes when I couldn't see_

_You saw the best there was in me_

_Lifted me up when I couldn't reach_

_You gave me faith 'cause you believed_

_I'm everything I am_

_Because you loved me_

_You were always there for me_

_The tender wind that carried me_

_A light in the dark shining your love into my life_

_You've been my inspiration_

_Through the lies you were the truth_

_My world is a better place because of you_

Sergio kept his gaze on her as she continued on with the song. Once she finished, she looked at him, bent down, and kissed him passionately on the lips. Overwhelmed with the feeling of their kiss, Sergio immediately swept her off the stage and carried a laughing Raquel in his arms, away from the stage.

“I shall be taking my wife for some needed alone time, now,” Sergio stated into the microphone Raquel was still holding and passed it off to one of the waiters as he marched to the hotel. The crowd hooted at them as Raquel wrapped an arm around his shoulders and waved goodbye.

In front of their hotel room, Sergio shifted Raquel in his arms and opened the door, and stepped inside.

“Carrying the bride over the threshold, how traditional of you, Mr Marquina.” Raquel giggled.

“Of course. Anything for my beautiful wife.” He smiled and laid her down on the bed and crawled on top of her. He started kissing her, his hands caressing her hips.

When his lips traveled down to the sensitive spot on her neck and his beard scraping her skin, Raquel moaned as she felt herself getting wetter by the minute.

“Mmm, we must stop. I have a husband.” She teased.

Going along with her charade he smiled on her skin and chuckled. “I see...” He continued his lazy ministrations as his hands went down to the slit of her dress, running his hands up and down her legs as he subtly pushed the material up to get more access. “And what is this husband of yours like?” He hummed.

Sighing from his non-stop touches, Raquel answered. “Oh, he’s the love of my life. The most adoring man I have ever met. And he’s great in bed.”

“Is he, now?” He mumbled as he dragged her panties down her legs.

Raquel bit her lip as she felt his beard brush the inside of her thighs, making her shiver. “Uh, huh. The best I ever had.” She whispered.

With that, Sergio devoured her, lavishing her sex like he always has, with so much passion and reverence. Raquel couldn’t help but scream in pleasure as the tidal wave of her instant orgasm struck her in full-force.

“Am I as good as him?” Sergio teased.

“That still needs to be proven,” she said in a shaky breath as she came down from her high.

“Vale.” Sergio whispered huskily. “As much as I love seeing how gorgeous you look in this dress… I much prefer you out of it.” He said as he made quick work of removing her dress.

Laying naked in front of him, Raquel watched as Sergio methodically undressed at the end of the bed. His eyes never leave hers. Slightly sitting upright, she reached over and gripped his hard member that was standing at attention. She slid down the bed and shifted to a kneeling position and took him in her mouth. The loud groan that ripped through his throat from the contact did not go unnoticed by her and got her more excited and enthusiastic at the task at hand.

“Raquel,” he whispered hoarsely to get her attention. He moved his hand in her hair and cradled her head as she looked up at him through her lashes with his cock still in her warm mouth. “Get back up the bed.”

Without hesitation, Raquel climbed up the bed and laid back down. She watched Sergio crawl on top of her as she blindly took hold of his member once again and directly placed it on her clit. She gyrated her hips as the feel of his cock getting coated with her essence was too much to bear. Just when she thought it couldn’t get better, Sergio slipped into her and took his thumb to her oversensitive clit and started strumming her like a guitar.

Raquel went feral as Sergio continued with his ministrations while simultaneously pounding into her with rhythmic strokes for what felt like hours.

Sergio felt her legs, that were framing his hips, start to shake which was a telltale sign that she was near orgasm. He picked up the pace of his movements, snapping his hips to hers in an almost animalistic manner. The only sound in the room was their damp and heated skins slapping against each other, and their synchronized groans of pleasure as they reached the peaks of their orgasms.

After a few minutes of catching their breaths, Sergio shifted on his side to lay beside her. “How was that, Mrs. Marquina?”

“Absolutely mindblowing, Mr. Marquina.” She replied with a quirk of her lips. She scooted closer to him and breathed in their mixed scents. She felt Sergio engulf her in an embrace and tenderly kissed her temple.

“Te amo mucho, mi amor,” Sergio whispered into her hair.

Snuggling into the crook of his neck, Raquel whispered back, “Yo tambien te quiero, Sergio.”

  
Sergio felt her release a sigh and her breathing even out as she slipped into a deep sleep. He hugged her tighter to his body, basking in the warmth and the afterglow of their lovemaking. He still couldn’t believe he gets to hold her like this for the rest of his life. _For the rest of their lives._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned.... 😉👀

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments will feed my soul so please leave some, it would be truly appreciated.
> 
> P.S. thank you so much to my beta readers! and special mention to @Corny_Cornflakes and @lonelychicagos for the edits love you queens!😘


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